In this strain loxP sites flank the coding region of the Noggin (Nog) gene. Homozygous mice are viable, fertile, normal in size, and do not display any gross physical or behavioral abnormalities. NOGGIN is a secreted protein involved in embryonic development including bone development, joint formation, and neural tube fusion. It also plays a role in neural induction, where it inhibits the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-signaling pathway. NOGGIN also inhibits Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signal transduction by binding to TGF-β family ligands and preventing them from binding to their corresponding receptors. When bred to mice that express tissue-specific Cre recombinase, resulting offspring will not express NOGGIN in the cre-expressing tissues. This strain may be useful for studying BMP-signaling during embryonic development and in postnatal tissues.
For example, when crossed to a strain expressing Cre recombinase in embryonic cells (see Stock No. 003376), this mutant mouse strain may be useful in studies of axial skeleton development.
