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The IRG mouse: A two‐color fluorescent reporter for assessing Cre‐mediated recombination and imaging complex cellular relationships in situ
Author(s) -
De Gasperi Rita,
Rocher Anne B.,
Sosa Miguel A. Gama,
Wearne Susan L.,
Perez Gissel M.,
Friedrich Victor L.,
Hof Patrick R.,
Elder Gregory A.
Publication year - 2008
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.20400
Subject(s) - green fluorescent protein , fluorescence , reporter gene , transgene , genetically modified mouse , biology , confocal microscopy , microbiology and biotechnology , recombination , cre lox recombination , gene , genetics , gene expression , physics , quantum mechanics
The Cre‐ loxP system is widely used for making conditional alterations to the mouse genome. Cre‐mediated recombination is frequently monitored using reporter lines in which Cre expression activates a reporter gene driven by a ubiquitous promoter. Given the distinct advantages of fluorescent reporters, we developed a transgenic reporter line, termed IRG, in which DsRed‐Express, a red fluorescent protein (RFP) is expressed ubiquitously prior to Cre‐mediated recombination and an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) following recombination. Besides their utility for monitoring Cre‐mediated recombination, we show that in IRG mice red and green native fluorescence can be imaged simultaneously in thick tissue sections by confocal microscopy allowing for complex reconstructions to be created that are suitable for analysis of neuronal morphologies as well as neurovascular interactions in brain. IRG mice should provide a versatile tool for analyzing complex cellular relationships in both neural and nonneural tissues. genesis 46:308–317, 2008. Published 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.