Mice that are homozygous for this "PU.1F" conditional allele are viable and fertile. When PU.1F mice are bred to mice expressing Cre recombinase, exons 4-5 of the targeted gene are deleted in the cre-expressing tissues in the offspring. These mice may be useful in studying T cell lymphoma, AML and other cancers, as well as transcription factors, hematopoiesis, and the development of multiple cell lineages.
For example, when PU.1F mice are crossed with mice expressing the interferon- or dsRNA-inducible Mx1-cre transgenic mice (see Stock No. 003556), this mutant mouse strain may be useful in studies of hematopoietic stem cells.
NOTE: Despite these mice being backcrossed onto the C57BL/6 genetic background, occasional albino pups may be observed. The donating investigator confirms this observation and suggests the targeted mutation may have an as of yet uncharacterized effect upon coat color genes.
