Mice hemizygous for the Tagln-cre (also called Sm22aCre) transgene 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 smooth muscle protein 22-alpha (or transgelin)  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 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 <i>loxP</i> 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.

These Tagln-cre (also called Sm22aCre) transgenic mice express Cre recombinase under the control of the mouse smooth muscle protein 22-alpha (or transgelin) promoter.  This strain represents an effective tool for generating tissue specific-targeted mutants that would be useful in studies of vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis.

Live mice available in varying quantities. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jax.org/jax-mice-and-services/customer-support" rel="noreferrer">Contact Customer Service</a> for specifics.