title: Mef2c-F10N enhancer driven β-galactosidase (LacZ) and Cre recombinase mice facilitate analyses of gene function and lineage fate in neural crest cells.
abstract: Neural crest cells (NCC) comprise a multipotent, migratory stem cell and progenitor population that gives rise to numerous cell and tissue types within a developing embryo, including craniofacial bone and cartilage, neurons and glia of the peripheral nervous system, and melanocytes within the skin. Here we describe two novel stable transgenic mouse lines suitable for lineage tracing and analysis of gene function in NCC. Firstly, using the F10N enhancer of the Mef2c gene (Mef2c-F10N) linked to LacZ, we generated transgenic mice (Mef2c-F10N-LacZ) that express LacZ in the majority, if not all migrating NCC that delaminate from the neural tube. Mef2c-F10N-LacZ then continues to be expressed primarily in neurogenic, gliogenic and melanocytic NCC and their derivatives, but not in ectomesenchymal derivatives. Secondly, we used the same Mef2c-F10N enhancer together with Cre recombinase to generate transgenic mice (Mef2c-F10N-Cre) that can be used to indelibly label, or alter gene function in, migrating NCC and their derivatives. At early stages of development, Mef2c-F10N-LacZ and Mef2c-F10N-Cre label NCC in a pattern similar to Wnt1-Cre mice, with the exception that Mef2c-F10N-LacZ and Mef2c-F10N-Cre specifically label NCC that have delaminated from the neural plate, while premigratory NCC are not labeled. Thus, our Mef2c-F10N-LacZ and Mef2c-F10N-Cre transgenic mice provide new resources for tracing migratory NCC and analyzing gene function in migrating and differentiating NCC independently of NCC formation.
authors: Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA.
authors: Kazushi
authors: K
authors: Aoto
authors: University of Louisville, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Craniofacial Biology, School of Dentistry, Louisville, KY 40201, USA.
authors: Lisa L
authors: LL
authors: Sandell
authors: Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
authors: Naomi E
authors: NE
authors: Butler Tjaden
authors: Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA.
authors: Kobe C
authors: KC
authors: Yuen
authors: Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
authors: Kristin E Noack
authors: KE
authors: Watt
authors: Cardiovascular Research Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
authors: Brian L
authors: BL
authors: Black
authors: Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA.
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Durnin
authors: Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA. Electronic address: pat@stowers.org.
authors: Paul A
authors: PA
authors: Trainor
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage; D002465:Cell Movement; D002645:Chickens; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D019426:Integrases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D007763:Lac Operon; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000166:cytology; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D014981:Xenopus; D015027:Zebrafish
chemical_list: C045073:Cre recombinase; D019426:Integrases
keywords: Cre recombinase; Mef2C enhancer (Mef2c-F10N); Neural crest cell; β-galactosidase reporter (LacZ)