Mice homozygous for this Gli3flox conditional allele are viable and fertile, with loxP sites flanking exon 8 of the targeted gene. When bred to mice that express Cre recombinase, the resulting offspring will have exon 8 deleted in the cre-expressing tissue(s). This results in a frameshift mutation upstream of the DNA-binding domain following splicing of mRNA from exon 7 to 9 and is reported to confer the null phenotype. These Gli3flox mutant mice may be useful in generating conditional mutations for studying Hedgehog/Sonic Hedgehog signaling in the development of many organs (such as central nervous system and limb patterning), as well as the role of Gli3 in adult organs.
When bred to a strain expressing Cre recombinase in the nervous system (see Stock No. 003771 for example), this mutant mouse strain may be useful in studies of mid/hind brain development.
When bred to a strain with a En1 null allele and expressing Cre recombinase in brain (see Stock No. 007916 for example), this mutant mouse strain may be useful in studies of mid/hind brain development.
