Cdc42loxP/loxP floxed mice possess loxP sites flanking exon 2 of the cell division cycle 42 (Cdc42) gene. CDC42 is a Rho-family GTPase that controls cadherin-based intercellular junctions and cell polarity, as well as cellular adhesion, migration, endocytosis, and cell cycle progression. Homozygotes are viable and fertile. When bred to mice that express tissue-specific Cre recombinase, resulting offspring will have exon 2 deleted in the cre-expressing tissues.
For example, when bred to B6.Cg-Tg(Mx1-cre)1Cgn/J transgenic mice (Stock No. 003556) expressing Cre recombinase in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) after administration of poly(IC), CDC42 is undetectable in bone marrow (BM) five days after administration of the third poly(IC) dose. These mice show increased number and frequency of the stem/progenitor cells in the BM. Cdc42 deficiency also causes impaired adhesion, homing, lodging, and retention of HSCs, leading to massive egress of HSCs from BM to distal organs and peripheral blood and to an engraftment failure.
