B6.Cg-Pou4f2^tm1(cre)Bnt/SjJ

Stock number: 031485
Product name: Pou4f2^Cre
Research areas: Neurobiology Research, Research Tools

Description

This knock-in/knock-out strain, backcrossed to C57BL/6J from the original mixed genetic background (see Stock No. 030357), expresses cre recombinase from the Pou4f2 promoter. In the original line, cre expression is observed in the retina, brain, intestines, heart, and gonads.

Detailed description

Pou4f2 (POU domain, class 4, transcription factor 2; also called Brn3b) is expressed in a large subset of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and is essential in RGC differentiation, survival, and axon path-finding.

Stock No. 030357, on a mixed genetic background, was backcrossed to C57BL/6J (Stock No. 000664) to create this congenic strain. The mutation incorporates an IRES-cre fused to exon 1 of the mouse Pou4f2 gene to create a Pou4f2^Cre knock-in/knock-out allele.

On the original STOCK background, Cre expression is observed in the retina, brain, intestines, heart, and gonads. Also see below for germline Cre expression in Cre;floxed double mutant males.

The donating laboratory has noted no overt phenotypic differences between this C57BL/6J-backcrossed line and the original mixed background strain (Stock No. 030357).

Simmons et al. 2016 Mol Vis. 22:705 reports that Pou4f2^Cre;floxed double mutant males bred to wildtype females produced offspring with germline deletion of the floxed allele, regardless of whether the pups inherit the Pou4f2^Cre allele. When Pou4f2^Cre mice (both sexes) are crossed with Ai9 red fluorescent protein (RFP) reporter mice (see Stock No. 007909), fluorescence has been detected in all examined tissues (retina, the optic tract, hippocampus, cortex, intestine, heart, testis, ovary, lung, liver, pancreas, skeletal muscle, kidney, and ear punches), but was not widespread.

If the recombinase activity pattern of this allele is further characterized by the Genetic Resource Science group at The Jackson Laboratory, such findings will be reported on the Mouse Genome Informatics (MGI) Allele Detail entry. This same information may also be found searching the MGI Recombinase Activity and MGI Gene Expression + Recombinase Activity Comparison Matrix.

Development

JAX Stock No. 030357 was backcrossed to C57BL/6J (Stock No. 000664) for 36 generations to create this congenic strain (Stock No. 031485).

In the original strain, an internal ribosome entry site (IRES)-cre was fused to exon 1, disrupting the mouse Pou4f2 gene. A neomcyin cassette, in reverse transcriptional orientation, was placed downstream. This strain was created by homologous recombination in an unknown embryonic stem cell line. Mice were maintained on a mix of C57BL/6J, C3H/HeJ, and 129 and subsequently backcrossed to C57BL/6 by the Vann Bennett laboratory (Duke University). Mice carried the Pde6b wildtype allele.

This line was subsequently backcrossed to C57BL/6J by the Simon John lab (The Jackson Laboratory) for 36 generations.

Allele

Symbol: Pou4f2^tm1(cre)Bnt
Name: targeted mutation 1, Vann Bennett
MGI accession ID: MGI:5829570
Generation method: Targeted
Attributes: Recombinase-expressing
Marker symbol: Pou4f2
Marker name: POU domain, class 4, transcription factor 2
Marker synonyms: BRN3.2; Brn-3.2; Brn3b; Brn-3B; mBrn3-3R; Pou4f-rs1
Chromosome: 8
Strain of origin: Not Specified
Expressed genes: cre,cre recombinase,bacteriophage P1
Site of expression: When Pou4f2Cre mice are crossed with animals carrying a loxP-flanked sequence of interest, cre-mediated excision of the floxed region occurs in the retina, brain (optic tract, hippocampus, cortex), intestines, heart, and gonads (ovary and testes).
Molecular note: An internal ribosome entry site (IRES)-cre was fused to exon 1, disrupting the mouse Pou4f2 gene. A neomcyin cassette, in reverse transcriptional orientation, was placed downstream.