B6.FVB(Cg)-Tg(Pmch-cre)1Lowl/J

Stock number: 036551
Product name: MCH-Cre

Research areas: Diabetes and Obesity Research, Neurobiology Research, Research Tools

Description

MCH-Cre transgenic BAC mice express cre recombinase from the mouse Pmch (pro-melanin-concentrating hormone; also called MCH) promoter/enhancer regions. These mice, backcrossed to C57BL/6J and lacking the Pde6b^rd1 retinal degeneration allele, are useful in studies of MCH-neuronal activity in controlling energy balance, glucose homeostasis, sleep, locomotion, and reward-related behaviors.

Detailed description

MCH-Cre transgenic BAC mice express cre recombinase from the mouse Pmch (pro-melanin-concentrating hormone; also called MCH) promoter/enhancer regions.

Hemizygotes are viable, fertile, and normal in size, with cre expression directed specifically to MCH-neurons of the hypothalamus and zona incerta. When these transgenic mice are bred with mice containing a loxP-flanked sequence, Cre-mediated recombination is expected to result in deletion of the floxed sequences in the Cre recombinase-expressing neurons of the offspring. MCH neurons regulate many physiological functions. These mice, backcrossed to C57BL/6J and lacking the Pde6b^rd1 retinal degeneration allele, are useful in studies of MCH-neuronal activity in controlling energy balance, glucose homeostasis, sleep, locomotion, and reward-related behaviors.

In an attempt to offer alleles on well-characterized or multiple genetic backgrounds, alleles are frequently moved to a genetic background different from that on which an allele was first characterized. This is the case for the strain above. MCH-Cre mice on a mixed STOCK background (Stock No. 014099) were backcrossed to C57BL/6J for 10 generations prior to donation to The Jackson Laboratory. It should be noted that the phenotype could vary from that originally described, though no overt differences have been noted thus far (August, 2021). We will modify the strain description if necessary as published results become available.

Development

MCH-Cre mice on a mixed STOCK background (Stock No. 014099) were acquired by the Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz lab (Janelia Research Campus) and backcrossed to C57BL/6J for more 10 generations to remove the Pde6b^rd1 (retinal degeneration) allele prior to donation to The Jackson Laboratory as Stock No. 036551.

Upon arrival at The Jackson Laboratory, sperm was cryopreserved. Cryorecovery/live colony development will involve C57BL/6J (Stock No. 000664). (October, 2021).

In the original mutation: A Cre-polyA-frt-Neo-frt cassette was introduced to the translational start site of the mouse Pmch gene encoded on a BAC, replacing nucleotides 66-94 of NM_029971. The neomycin cassette was excised with FLP recombinase (update February, 2022 - this neomycin cassette appears to be intact), and the BAC was microinjected into FVB/NJ embryos. Transgenic mice were bred to B6.129(Cg)-Tg(CAG-Bgeo/GFP)21Lbe/J mice (Stock No. 004178) to establish a colony of MCH-Cre mice. These mice were subsequently maintained by breeding with mice on a C57BL/6 x 129 mixed background. Tg(CAG-Bgeo/GFP)21Lbe was bred out of the strain. Upon arrival at The Jackson Laboratory arrival, Stock No. 014099 mice were crossed with FVB/NJ inbred mice (Stock No. 001800) for at least one generation to establish the colony.

Allele

Symbol: Tg(Pmch-cre)1Lowl
Name: transgene insertion 1, Bradford B Lowell
MGI accession ID: MGI:4887235
Generation method: Transgenic
Attributes: Recombinase-expressing
Synonyms: MCH-Cre
Marker symbol: Tg(Pmch-cre)1Lowl
Marker name: transgene insertion 1, Bradford B Lowell
Marker synonyms: Mch-Cre
Chromosome: UN
Strain of origin: FVB/NJ
Expressed genes: cre,cre recombinase,bacteriophage P1
Site of expression: cre expression is directed specifically to the melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) neurons of the hypothalamus and zona incerta.
Molecular note: Homologous recombination with EL250 cells was induced to insert a cre-polyA-FRT-Neo-FRT cassette into a BAC containing the Pmch (pro-melanin-concentrating hormone; MCH) at the Pmch translational start site with concomitant replacement of the 26 nucleotides following it. Arabinose-induced Flp recombination in bacterial cells removed the kanamycin cassette. The purified, linearized construct was injected into the pronuclei of FVB one-cell embryos. Eight lines were generated and crossed to Z/EG reporter animals. 2 lines exhibited GFP expression in the lateral hypothalamus and zona incerta, known sites of endogenous Pmch expression. Cre expression in one of these lines of characterized further.