STOCK Tg(Tagln-cre)1Her/J

Stock number: 004746
Research areas: Research Tools

Description

A C57BL/6 congenic version of this strain is available as Stock No. 017491.

These transgenic mice express Cre recombinase under the control of the mouse transgelin (smooth muscle protein 22-alpha) promoter. Cre recombinase activity is observed in vascular smooth muscle cells of hepatic and pulmonary arteries. When crossed with a strain containing a loxP site-flanked sequence of interest, Cre-mediated recombination results in deletion of the flanked sequence in vascular smooth muscle cells. This strain represents an effective tool for generating tissue specific-targeted mutants that would be useful in studies of vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis.

Detailed description

Mice homozygous for the transgenic insert are viable, fertile, normal in size and do not display any gross physical or behavioral abnormalities. These transgenic mice express Cre recombinase under the control of the mouse transgelin (smooth muscle protein 22-alpha) promoter. Cre recombinase expression (mRNA) closely patterns endogenous transgelin expression, with the highest levels detected in the aorta, intestine and uterus. Low levels of transcript are detected in all other organs tested, likely reflecting the vascular smooth muscle compartments in the these tissues. Cre recombinase activity is observed in vascular smooth muscle cells of hepatic and pulmonary arteries, with no activity detected outside the vascular walls. When crossed with a strain containing a loxP site-flanked sequence of interest, Cre-mediated recombination results in deletion of the flanked sequence in vascular smooth muscle cells. This strain represents an effective tool for generating tissue specific-targeted mutants that would be useful in studies of vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis.

Development

A transgenic construct containing cre coding sequence under the control of the mouse transgelin promoter was introduced into B6SJLF2 donor oocytes.

Allele

Symbol: Tg(Tagln-cre)1Her
Name: transgene insertion 1, Joachim Herz
MGI accession ID: MGI:2446975
Generation method: Transgenic
Attributes: Recombinase-expressing
Marker symbol: Tg(Tagln-cre)1Her
Marker name: transgene insertion 1, Joachim Herz
Chromosome: UN
Strain of origin: (C57BL/6 x SJL)F2
Expressed genes: cre,cre recombinase,bacteriophage P1
Site of expression: vascular smooth muscle cells
Molecular note: The transgene consists of a Tagln (transgelin) promoter and a cre gene modified to include translational consensus and nuclear localization signals. The Tagln promoter was used to drive transgene expression in smooth muscle cells. Cre recombinase mRNA expression closely patterns endogenous transgelin expression, with the highest levels detected in the aorta, intestine, and uterus. Low levels of Cre recombinase transcript are detected in all other organs. Recombination occurs in vascular smooth muscle cells of hepatic and pulmonary arteries. No recombination has been detected in non-muscle cells.
General note: Hemizygous transgenic mice are viable, fertile, normal in size, and do not display any gross physical or behavioral abnormalities.