A transgenic mouse line with specific Cre recombinase expression in the adrenal cortex.
The Cre-loxP system combined with gene targeting strategies has proven to be very useful for gene inactivation in specific tissues and/or cell types. To achieve adrenal cortex specific recombination in vivo, we used a 0.5-kb fragment of the 5'-flanking region of the akr1b7 gene to drive Cre expression in adrenocortical cells. The resulting 0.5 akr1b7-Cre mice express Cre in all steroidogenic zones of the adrenal cortex but not in the gonads. Although recombination of the ROSA26R reporter locus was not observed in all cortical cells, we provide evidence that Cre is expressed in all the cells of the cortex in adult mice. In addition, Cre activity was found in collecting ducts and maturing glomeruli of the kidney. This line is the first to show specific Cre expression in the adrenal cortex in the absence of Cre expression in the gonads. This transgene thus provides a valuable tool for specific gene recombination in the adrenal cortex and kidney.
Lambert-Langlais
Sarah
S
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité mixte de Recherche 6247, Institut National de la Recherche Médicale, Unité 931, Génétique, Reproduction et Développement, Clermont Université, 24 avenue des Landais, 63177 Aubière, France.
Val
Pierre
P
Guyot
Samuel
S
Ragazzon
Bruno
B
Sahut-Barnola
Isabelle
I
De Haze
Angélique
A
Lefrançois-Martinez
Anne-Marie
AM
Martinez
Antoine
A
D000302:Adrenal Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000201:enzymology*; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006066:Gonads / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology; D019426:Integrases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007668:Kidney / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic
C045073:Cre recombinase; D019426:Integrases