title: IL7-hCD25 and IL7-Cre BAC transgenic mouse lines: new tools for analysis of IL-7 expressing cells.
abstract: IL-7 is a cytokine that is required for T-cell development and homeostasis as well as for lymph node organogenesis. Despite the importance of IL-7 in the immune system and its potential therapeutic relevance, questions remain regarding the sites of IL-7 synthesis, specific cell types involved and molecular mechanisms regulating IL-7 expression. To address these issues, we generated two bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) transgenic mouse lines in which IL-7 regulatory elements drive expression of either Cre recombinase or a human CD25 (hCD25) cell surface reporter molecule. Expression of the IL-7.hCD25 BAC transgene, detected by reactivity with anti-hCD25 antibody, mimicked endogenous IL-7 expression. Fetal and adult tissues from crosses between IL-7.Cre transgenic mice and Rosa26R or R26-EYFP reporters demonstrated X-gal or YFP staining in tissues known to express endogenous IL-7 at some stage during development. These transgenic lines provide novel genetic tools to identify IL-7 producing cells in various tissues and to manipulate gene expression selectively in IL-7 expressing cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Carcinogenesis, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Science Park Research Division, Smithville, Texas 78957, USA.
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Repass
authors.forename: Micheline N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Laurent
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Reizis
authors.forename: Mark T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Bedford
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cardenas
authors.forename: Priyanka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Narang
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coles
authors.forename: Ellen R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Richie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D022202:Chromosomes, Artificial, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019426:Integrases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015851:Interleukin-7 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit; D015851:Interleukin-7; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C045073:Cre recombinase; D019426:Integrases