Capn8 promoter directs the expression of Cre recombinase in gastric pit cells of transgenic mice.
Gastric pit cells are high-turnover epithelial cells of the gastric mucosa. They secrete mucus to protect the gastric epithelium from acid and pepsin. To investigate the genetic mechanisms underlying the physiological functions of gastric pit cells, we generated a transgenic mouse line, namely, Capn8-Cre, in which the expression of Cre recombinase was controlled by the promoter of the intracellular Ca(2+)-regulated cysteine protease calpain-8. To test the tissue distribution and excision activity of Cre recombinase, the Capn8-Cre transgenic mice were bred with the ROSA26 reporter strain and a mouse strain that carries Smad4 conditional alleles (Smad4(Co/Co)). Multiple-tissue PCR and LacZ staining demonstrated that Capn8-Cre transgenic mouse expressed Cre recombinase in the gastric pit cells. Cre recombinase activity was also detected in the liver and skin tissues. These data suggest that the Capn8-Cre mouse line described here could be used to dissect gene function in gastric pit cells.
Zhao
Zengming
Z
Genetic Laboratory of Development and Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Sun
Yanxun
Y
Hou
Ning
N
Teng
Yan
Y
Wang
Youliang
Y
Yang
Xiao
X
D000818:Animals; D002154:Calpain / Q000235:genetics*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000201:enzymology*; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000201:enzymology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D018390:Gene Targeting / Q000379:methods*; D019426:Integrases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009928:Organ Specificity; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic
C045073:Cre recombinase; D019426:Integrases; D002154:Calpain; C120543:Capn8 protein, mouse