B6.129S6-Slc3a2^tm1.1Merl/J

Stock number: 020086
Research areas: Research Tools

Description

These CD98^flox mice possess loxP sites on either side of exon 2 of the Slc3a2 gene and have applications in studies related to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colitis-associated cancer.

Detailed description

The transmembrane protein encoded by Slc3a2 (solute carrier family 3 (activators of dibasic and neutral amino acid transport), member 2) is part of a heterodimer that is involved in the transport of large neutral amino acids. These mice possess loxP sites on either side of exon 2 of the Slc3a2 gene. Mice that are homozygous for this allele are viable and fertile. When these mutant mice are bred to mice that express Cre recombinase, resulting offspring will have exon 2 deleted in the cre-expressing tissues.

When bred to a strain with Cre recombinase expression in intestinal villi and crypt cells (see Stock No. 004586 for example), this mutant mouse strain may be useful in studies of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colitis-associated cancer.

Development

A loxP site flanked targeting vector containing PGK-Neo selection cassette was utilized in the construction of this mutant. This selection cassette was inserted downstream of exon 2 of the targeted gene, and another loxP site was inserted upstream of exon 2. This construct was electroporated into 129S6/SvEvTac derived TC-1 embryonic stem (ES) cells. Correctly targeted ES cells were transiently transfected with a cre expression plasmid for the purpose of removing the selectable marker cassette. ES cells that had successfully undergone cre recombination and no longer retained the cassette but did retain the loxP-flanked exon 2 were injected in blastocysts. Resulting chimeric male animals were backcrossed to wildtype C57BL/6 mice. The donating investigator reported the mice were backcrossed to C57BL/6 mice for eight generations (see SNP results below) prior to sending males to The Jackson Laboratory Repository in 2012. Upon arrival, males were used to cryopreserve sperm. To establish the living mouse colony, an aliquot of the frozen sperm was used to fertilize C57BL/6J oocytes (Stock No. 000664).

In 2013, a 32 SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) panel analysis, with 27 markers covering all 19 chromosomes and the X chromosome, as well as 5 markers that distinguish between the C57BL/6J and C57BL/6N substrains, was performed on the first generation rederived living colony at The Jackson Laboratory Repository. This revealed one mouse with a marker on chromosome 4 that was segregating for C57BL/6 or 129S allele-type (this mouse was not used in the breeding pedigree). In addition, 3 of 5 markers that determine C57BL/6J from C57BL/6N were also found to be segregating (on chromosomes 13, 15 and 19). These data suggest that the mice sent to The Jackson Laboratory Repository were on a mixed C57BL/6N;C57BL/6J genetic background.

Allele

Symbol: Slc3a2^tm1.1Merl
Name: targeted mutation 1.1, Didier Merlin
MGI accession ID: MGI:5433604
Generation method: Targeted
Attributes: Conditional ready (e.g. floxed); No functional change
Marker symbol: Slc3a2
Marker name: solute carrier family 3 (activators of dibasic and neutral amino acid transport), member 2
Chromosome: 19
Strain of origin: 129S6/SvEvTac
Molecular note: A loxP site was inserted upstream of exon 1. A loxP flanked neo cassette was inserted downstream of exon 2. Cre-mediated recombination removed the neo cassette and left exon 2 floxed.