title: Production of a mouse line with a conditional Crim1 mutant allele.
abstract: Crim1 is a developmentally expressed, transmembrane protein essential for normal embryonic development. We generated mice engineered to contain a Crim1 conditional null allele by flanking exons three and four of Crim1 with unidirectional LoxP sites. After crossing Crim1+/FLOX mice with a CMV-Cre line, a Crim1+/Δflox colony was established after germline transmission of the deleted allele. We then analyzed genomic DNA, mRNA transcripts, and protein expression from Crim1Δflox/Δflox null mice to confirm the nature of the genomic lesion. Crim1Δflox/Δflox mice displayed phenotypes similar to those previously described for a Crim1 gene-trap mutant, Crim1KST264/KST264, including perinatal lethality, digit syndactyly, eye, and kidney abnormalities, with varying penetrance and severity. The production of a conditional mutant allele represents a valuable resource for the study of the tissue-specific roles for Crim1, and for understanding the pleimorphic phenotypes associated with Crim1 mutation.
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Han Sheng
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: J Philippe
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: York
authors.forename: Lorine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.forename: Pumin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Melissa H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Little
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Pennisi
mesh_terms: D000015:Abnormalities, Multiple / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics; D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D052004:Bone Morphogenetic Protein Receptors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002678:Chimera; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000235:genetics*; D005091:Exons; D005260:Female; D017353:Gene Deletion; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D005838:Genotype; D019426:Integrases; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009154:Mutation; D009928:Organ Specificity; D038081:Organogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D010641:Phenotype; D011247:Pregnancy; D011995:Recombination, Genetic
chemical_list: C518411:Crim1 protein, mouse; D052004:Bone Morphogenetic Protein Receptors; C045073:Cre recombinase; D019426:Integrases