Targeting of the enhanced green fluorescent protein reporter to adrenergic cells in mice.
Adrenaline and noradrenaline are important neurotransmitter hormones that mediate physiological stress responses in adult mammals, and are essential for cardiovascular function during a critical period of embryonic/fetal development. In this study, we describe a novel mouse model system for identifying and characterizing adrenergic cells. Specifically, we generated a reporter mouse strain in which a nuclear-localized enhanced green fluorescent protein gene (nEGFP) was inserted into exon 1 of the gene encoding Phenylethanolamine n-methyltransferase (Pnmt), the enzyme responsible for production of adrenaline from noradrenaline. Our analysis demonstrates that this knock-in mutation effectively marks adrenergic cells in embryonic and adult mice. We see expression of nEGFP in Pnmt-expressing cells of the adrenal medulla in adult animals. We also note that nEGFP expression recapitulates the restricted expression of Pnmt in the embryonic heart. Finally, we show that nEGFP and Pnmt expressions are each induced in parallel during the in vitro differentiation of pluripotent mouse embryonic stem cells into beating cardiomyocytes. Thus, this new mouse genetic model should be useful for the identification and functional characterization of adrenergic cells in vitro and in vivo.
Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA.
Jixiang
J
Xia
Namita
N
Varudkar
Candice N
CN
Baker
Ibrahim
I
Abukenda
Celines
C
Martinez
Aruna
A
Natarajan
Alexander
A
Grinberg
Karl
K
Pfeifer
Steven N
SN
Ebert
D000313:Adrenal Medulla / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D017930:Genes, Reporter / Q000235:genetics*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D009154:Mutation; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000378:metabolism; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010625:Phenylethanolamine N-Methyltransferase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism
C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D010625:Phenylethanolamine N-Methyltransferase; D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine