In B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia the most common genomic aberration is deletion of human chromosomal region 13q14, corresponding to mouse chromosomal region 14qC3. Deletions of this same region are also found in monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis and diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. A 0.11Mb minimal deleted region (MDR), that includes DLEU2 (deleted in lymphocytic leukemia, 2) and the MIR15A/MIR16-1 cluster, has been identified in more than half the patients with B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The CDR, common deleted region, contains the 0.11Mb minimal deleted region (MDR) as well as a 0.69Mb genomic region telomeric to the MDR. These mice carry the conditional (floxed) CDR, common deleted region, allele. loxP and FRT sites flank a 0.8 mb region that includes the Dleu5, Kcnrg, Dleu2 genes, Mir15a/Mir16-1 cluster, Dleu7, and Rnaseh2b genes. Homozygotes are viable, fertile, normal in size and do not display any gross physical or behavioral abnormalities. Cre-mediated recombination is indicated by GFP expression.
When bred to a strain with Cre recombinase expression in B lymphocytes (see Stock No. 006785 for example), this mutant mouse strain may be useful in studies of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
