Double transgenic mice crossed GFP-LC3 transgenic mice with alphaMyHC-mCherry-LC3 transgenic mice are a new and useful tool to examine the role of autophagy in the heart.
BACKGROUND
The involvement of autophagy in heart disease has been reported. Transgenic mice expressing GFP-LC3 have been a useful tool in detecting autophagosomes systemically. It is difficult to differentiate increased formation of autophagosomes from decreased clearance of autophagosomes in the heart using GFP-LC3 mice.


RESULTS
We generated transgenic mice expressing mCherry-LC3 under alphaMyHC promoter and crossed the mice with transgenic mice expressing GFP-LC3. The deference of resistance to acidic conditions between GFP and mCherry overcame the limitation.


CONCLUSIONS
This method is an innovative approach to examine the role of autophagy and to analyze autophagosome maturation in cardiomyocytes. (Circ J 2010; 74: 203 - 206).
Terada
Mai
M
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
Nobori
Kiyoshi
K
Munehisa
Yoshiko
Y
Kakizaki
Manabu
M
Ohba
Takayoshi
T
Takahashi
Yoichiro
Y
Koyama
Takashi
T
Terata
Yutaka
Y
Ishida
Masaru
M
Iino
Kenji
K
Kosaka
Toshimitsu
T
Watanabe
Hiroyuki
H
Hasegawa
Hitoshi
H
Ito
Hiroshi
H
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001343:Autophagy / Q000502:physiology*; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
C480860:Map1lc3b protein, mouse; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains