Mice homozygous for the Wnt7bc3 allele are viable and fertile, with loxP sites flanking exon 3 of the targeted gene. When bred to mice that express Cre recombinase, the resulting offspring will have this region deleted in the cre-expressing tissue(s). Unlike other Wnt7b mutant alleles, this Wnt7bc3 conditional allele is not affected by alternative exon 1 splicing. These Wnt7bc3 mice may be useful in generating conditional mutations for studying the role of Wnt7b (and other Wnt family members) in development and canonical Wnt signaling cascades, including lung differentiation and growth. In addition, these mice may also be useful in conjunction with other Wnt7 mutant strains including Wnt7b knockout mice (Stock No. 004693) and Wnt7a mutant mice (Stock No. 004715).
When bred to a strain expressing Cre recombinase in epiblast cells (see Stock No. 008454, 004783 for example), this mutant mouse strain may be useful in studies of embronic lung growth.
When bred to a strain expressing Cre recombinase in the mesonephric duct and its' developmental derivatives (see Stock No. 004692 for example), this mutant mouse strain may be useful in studies of kidney development.
