STOCK Ctnnal1^tm1.1Sjm/J

Stock number: 028342
Product name: α-catulin ^GFP
Research areas: Research Tools

Description

Alpha-catulin^GFP mice express EGFP from the Ctnnal1 promotor, enabling fluorescent labeling of hematopoietic stem cells.

Detailed description

Gene expression profiling has shown that Ctnnal1 (catenin (cadherin associated protein; also called alpha catulin) is highly restricted in its expression to hematopoietic stem cells.

The alpha-catulin^GFP allele was created by knocking a GFP marker into the first exon of the mouse Ctnnal1 gene (in frame with the start codon) to enable fluorescent detection of HSCs. This allele is expressed by only 0.02% of bone marrow hematopoietic cells, including almost all HSCs.

Although predicted to be a loss-of-function allele, both heterozygous and homozygous mice are born with expected Mendelian frequencies. Young adult homozygotes are normal in size, body mass, bone density and bone volume. Animals do not display any visible phenotype and are fertile. Heterozygotes and homozygotes exhibit normal hematopoiesis as well as normal hematopoietic stem cell frequency, hematopoietic stem cell cycle kinetics, and normal hematopoietic stem cell function upon primary and secondary transplantation into irradiated mice. They have the same lifespan as their wildtype littermates.

Development

Most of the exon 1 coding region was replaced by an in-frame EGFP-bGH-pA-FRT-neo-FRT cassette via homologous recombination in B6.Cg-Thy1^a-derived Bruce 4 embryonic stem (ES) cells. Correctly targeted ES cell clones were identified by Southern blotting and injected into C57BL/6-Tyr^c-2J blastocysts. The resulting chimeric mice were bred with C57BL/6-Tyr^c-2J mice to obtain germline transmission. Then the Frt-Neo-Frt cassette was excised by mating with Tg(ACTFLPe)9205Dym FLP-expressing mice (see Stock No. 005703). These mice were backcrossed to C57BL/Ka for more than 10 generations by the donating laboratory, and carry the Ptprc^b (CD45.2) allele. This strain will be cryorecovered/rederived with C57BL/6J.

Allele

Symbol: Ctnnal1^tm1.1Sjm
Name: targeted mutation 1.1, Sean Morrison
MGI accession ID: MGI:5755098
Generation method: Targeted
Attributes: Reporter
Synonyms: alpha-catulin-GFP
Marker symbol: Ctnnal1
Marker name: catenin (cadherin associated protein), alpha-like 1
Chromosome: 4
Strain of origin: B6.Cg-Thy1^a
Expressed genes: GFP,Green Fluorescent Protein,
Site of expression: EGFP is expressed in hematopoietic stem cells.
Molecular note: Most of the exon 1 coding region and the exon 1 to intron 1 junction is replaced by an in-frame EGFP-bGH-pA-FRT-neo-FRT cassette via homologous recombination. Flp-mediated recombination removed the FRT-flanked neo cassette. Although predicted to be a loss-of-function allele, both heterozygous and homozygous mice exhibit no obvious phenotypic abnormalities.