Premium
Generation and characterization of a tamoxifen‐inducible Vsx1‐CreER T2 line to target V2 interneurons in the mouse developing spinal cord
Author(s) -
Baudouin Charlotte,
Pelosi Barbara,
Courtoy Guillaume E.,
Achouri Younes,
Clotman Frédéric
Publication year - 2021
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.23435
Subject(s) - spinal cord , progenitor , interneuron , biology , embryonic stem cell , neuroscience , progenitor cell , genetically modified mouse , neocortex , lineage (genetic) , transgene , inhibitory postsynaptic potential , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , gene , stem cell
Summary In the spinal cord, ventral interneurons regulate the activity of motor neurons, thereby controlling motor activities including locomotion. Interneurons arise during embryonic development from distinct progenitor domains orderly distributed along the dorso‐ventral axis of the neural tube. The p2 progenitor domain generates at least five V2 interneuron populations. However, identification and characterization of all V2 populations remain currently incomplete and the mechanisms that control their development remain only partly understood. In this study, we report the generation of a Vsx1‐CreER T2 BAC transgenic mouse line that drives CreER T2 recombinase expression mimicking endogenous Vsx1 expression pattern in the developing spinal cord. We showed that the Vsx1‐CreER T2 transgene can mediate recombination in V2 precursors with a high efficacy and specificity. Lineage tracing demonstrated that all the V2 interneurons in the mouse developing spinal cord derive from cells expressing Vsx1 . Finally, we confirmed that V2 precursors generate additional V2 populations that are not characterized yet. Thus, the Vsx1‐CreER T2 line described here is a useful genetic tool for lineage tracing and for functional studies of the mouse spinal V2 interneurons.