These transgenic mice express Cre recombinase under the control of the rat Pbsn, probasin, gene promoter, in the prostate epithelium. Cre recombinase mRNA is detected in prostate tissue by RT-PCR, while none is detected in testes, seminal vesicles, liver or kidney. Cre recombinase activity is detected in more than 95% of the lateral lobe epithelium, approximately 50% of the ventral lobe epithelium, approximately 10% of the dorsal lobe epithelim and 5% of the anterior lobe epithelium. Recombinase activity is detected in less than 5% of the seminal vesicle stroma, testicular tubules, and within oocytes in the ovary. No recombinase activity is detected in liver, kidney, lung, heart, spleen, brain, salivary gland, skin, bladder, uterus or mammary gland. Mice hemizygous for the transgenic insert are viable and fertile. It is not known if homozygotes are viable. When breeding with floxed mice, to increase the likelihood of prostate specific cre recombination, the Tg(Pbsn-cre)4Prb transgene must be inherited from the male only. Residual Cre recombinase activity in oocytes of female carriers may cause unintended germline Cre-mediated recombination.
When bred to a strain with a floxed Rb1 strain (see Stock No. 026563), and
an Akap12 knock out strain (see Stock No. 026228), this mutant mouse strain may be useful in studies of prostate cancer (see Stock No. 026229 for the triple mutant line).
