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Cre‐conditional expression of constitutively active Notch1 in transgenic mice
Author(s) -
Liu Ju,
Lobe Corrinne G.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
genesis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.093
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1526-968X
pISSN - 1526-954X
DOI - 10.1002/dvg.20282
Subject(s) - cre recombinase , transgene , biology , genetically modified mouse , notch signaling pathway , microbiology and biotechnology , embryonic stem cell , cre lox recombination , neural tube , embryo , green fluorescent protein , signal transduction , gene , genetics
The Notch signaling pathway plays a critical role during mammalian development. To bypass embryonic lethality associated with constitutive Notch1 signaling, we created transgenic mice with a floxed β‐geo/stop signal between a cytomegalo virus promoter and the constitutively active intracellular domain of Notch1 (IC‐Notch1). IC‐Notch1 is activated upon introduction of Cre recombinase and it is coexpressed with an enhanced green fluorescent protein or human placental alkaline phosphatase reporter. We created three IC‐Notch1 transgenic mouse lines and crossed them to a general Cre deletor mouse line, pCX‐Cre. The double transgenic IC‐Notch1/pCX‐Cre embryos have widespread expression of IC‐Notch1 and reporters and die before 10.5 days of gestation. Morphological and histological analysis of the double transgenic embryos indicated growth arrest and various developmental defects, including lack of neural tube closure, disorganized somites, and disrupted vasculature. The conditional IC‐Notch1 expressing transgenic mice provide a unique tool to investigate the Notch pathway using tissue‐specific Cre mice and inducible Cre systems. genesis 45:259–265, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.