Heat-shock inducible Cre strains to study organogenesis in transgenic Xenopus laevis.
The frog Xenopus is a well established vertebrate model to study the processes involved in embryogenesis and organogenesis, as it can be manipulated easily with a whole series of methods. We have expanded these approaches by establishing two transgenic Xenopus strains that allow specific interference with the activity of defined genes using a heat-shock inducible Cre recombinase that can induce upon heat-shock expression of a reporter gene in crossings to a corresponding reporter strain. We have applied this binary technique of gene interference in Xenopus development to overexpress the mutated HNF1 beta transcription factor at distinct developmental stages. Induction of HNF1 beta P328L329del by heat-shock at the gastrula stage resulted in a dramatic phenotype including malformation of the pronephros, gut, stomach, abnormal tail development and massive edemas indicative for kidney dysfunction. Thus, we have established the first binary inducible gene expression system in Xenopus laevis that can be used to study organogenesis.
Roose
Magdalena
M
Institut für Zellbiologie (Tumorforschung), Universität Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, 45122, Essen, Germany.
Sauert
Kathrin
K
Turan
Gülüzar
G
Solomentsew
Natalie
N
Werdien
Dagmar
D
Pramanik
Kallal
K
Senkel
Sabine
S
Ryffel
Gerhart U
GU
Waldner
Christoph
C
D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D005775:Gastrula / Q000254:growth & development; D015870:Gene Expression; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D050883:HSC70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D018869:Heat-Shock Response / Q000235:genetics; D051539:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1-beta / Q000235:genetics; D019426:Integrases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D038081:Organogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D029867:Xenopus Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*
D050883:HSC70 Heat-Shock Proteins; C490436:Heat shock cognate protein 70, Xenopus; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; D051539:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1-beta; C045073:Cre recombinase; D019426:Integrases