title: Cre Recombinase: You Can't Live with It, and You Can't Live Without It.
abstract: The development of conditional gene targeting has greatly advanced our knowledge of human retinal diseases, but issues have arisen related to the use of some Cre-expressing mouse lines. In this article, we discuss potential problems associated with transgenic Cre expression-induced degeneration and alteration of rod photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Our strategy for circumventing RPE degeneration by induced transient Cre expression uses a single intravitreal doxycycline injection in a tetracycline-inducible RPE-specific Cre mouse line, which results in productive Cre-mediated recombination efficiently in the RPE. As constitutive expression of Cre in the RPE alters RPE biology, this inducible Cre/lox system provides an opportunity for conditional gene targeting in the RPE, a tissue that is closely related to photoreceptor degeneration, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Medicine Endocrinology and Cell Biology, and Harold Hamm Diabetes Center, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 941 S. L. Young Blvd., BSEB 302G, 73104, Oklahoma City, OK, USA. Yun-Le@ouhsc.edu.
authors.forename: Yun-Zheng
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Le
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine Endocrinology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 73104, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
authors.forename: Meili
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Departments of Cell Biology and Ophthalmology, Dean A. McGee Eye Institute, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 73104, Oklahoma City, OK, USA. Robert-Anderson@ouhsc.edu.
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018390:Gene Targeting / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D019426:Integrases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012162:Retinal Degeneration / Q000235:genetics*; D055213:Retinal Pigment Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism; D017948:Retinal Rod Photoreceptor Cells / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C045073:Cre recombinase; D019426:Integrases
keywords: Cre/lox; Degeneration; Photoreceptor; RPE; Tetracycline-inducible