title: Specific and spatial labeling of P0-Cre versus Wnt1-Cre in cranial neural crest in early mouse embryos.
abstract: P0-Cre and Wnt1-Cre mouse lines have been widely used in combination with loxP-flanked mice to label and genetically modify neural crest (NC) cells and their derivatives. Wnt1-Cre has been regarded as the gold standard and there have been concerns about the specificity of P0-Cre because it is not clear about the timing and spatial distribution of the P0-Cre transgene in labeling NC cells at early embryonic stages. We re-visited P0-Cre and Wnt1-Cre models in the labeling of NC cells in early mouse embryos with a focus on cranial NC. We found that R26-lacZ Cre reporter responded to Cre activity more reliably than CAAG-lacZ Cre reporter during early embryogenesis. Cre immunosignals in P0-Cre and reporter (lacZ and RFP) activity in P0-Cre/R26-lacZ and P0-Cre/R26-RFP embryos was detected in the cranial NC and notochord regions in E8.0-9.5 (4-19 somites) embryos. P0-Cre transgene expression was observed in migrating NC cells and was more extensive in the forebrain and hindbrain but not apparent in the midbrain. Differences in the Cre distribution patterns of P0-Cre and Wnt1-Cre were profound in the midbrain and hindbrain regions, that is, extensive in the midbrain of Wnt1-Cre and in the hindbrain of P0-Cre embryos. The difference between P0-Cre and Wnt1-Cre in labeling cranial NC may provide a better explanation of the differential distributions of their NC derivatives and of the phenotypes caused by Cre-driven genetic modifications.
authors.affiliation: Regenerative Bioscience Center, Department of Animal and Dairy Science, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602.
authors.forename: Guiqian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Regenerative Bioscience Center, Department of Animal and Dairy Science, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109.
authors.forename: Jingwen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Reproductive and Developmental Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, 27709.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kishigami
authors.affiliation: Reproductive and Developmental Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, 27709.
authors.forename: Tomokazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.affiliation: Knockout Core, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, 27709.
authors.forename: Greg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.affiliation: Knockout Core, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, 27709.
authors.forename: Manas K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602.
authors.forename: Chenming
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602.
authors.forename: Shi-You
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109.|Reproductive and Developmental Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, 27709.|Department of Pediatrics, The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, Texas, 77030.
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Komatsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109.|Reproductive and Developmental Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, 27709.|Knockout Core, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, 27709.
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6268-4204
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mishina
authors.affiliation: Regenerative Bioscience Center, Department of Animal and Dairy Science, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602.
authors.forename: Hong-Xiang
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5515-9869
authors.initials: HX
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019070:Cell Lineage; D019426:Integrases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000166:cytology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D055495:Neurogenesis; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000166:cytology; D019076:Transgenes; D051155:Wnt1 Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D051155:Wnt1 Protein; C495246:Wnt1 protein, mouse; C045073:Cre recombinase; D019426:Integrases
keywords: P0-Cre; Wnt1-Cre; derivation; lineage tracing; mouse; neural crest