Conditional knockout mouse for tissue‐specific disruption of the cyclooxygenase‐2 ( Cox‐2 ) gene

Cyclooxygenase‐2 (Cox‐2) modulates many normal functions, and appears to play a role in a wide variety of pathophysiologic conditions. Cox‐2 gene expression is induced in many different cell types, in response to many distinct stimuli. We generated a conditional knockout mouse in which critical exons of the Cox‐2 gene are flanked with loxP sites. Cox‐2 flox/flox mice appear normal and are fertile. Recombination at the loxP sites, loss of Cox‐2 protein expression, and prevention of induced PGE 2 accumulation are observed in Cox‐2 flox/flox mouse embryo fibroblasts following infection with an adenovirus expressing CRE recombinase. In vivo recombination at the Cox‐2 flox allele was demonstrated in the liver of Cox‐2 flox/flox mice following intravenous injection of adenovirus expressing CRE recombinase. Spatially and temporally restricted elimination of the Cox‐2 gene in Cox‐2 flox/flox conditional knockout mice should provide a valuable tool to analyze the cell type‐specific role of Cox‐2 in many disease models. genesis 44:143–149, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.