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Cardiac specific expression of the green fluorescent protein during early murine embryonic development
Author(s) -
Fleischmann M,
Bloch W,
Kolossov E,
Andressen C,
Müller M,
Brem G,
Hescheler J,
Addicks K,
Fleischmann B.K
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/s0014-5793(98)01476-8
Subject(s) - green fluorescent protein , embryogenesis , embryonic stem cell , biology , embryo , embryonic heart , genetically modified mouse , transgene , microbiology and biotechnology , heart development , actin , gene , genetics
We demonstrate the establishment of transgenic mice, where the expression of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) is under control of the human cardiac α‐actin promoter. These mice display cardiac specific GFP expression already during early embryonic development. Prominent GFP fluorescence was observed at the earliest stage of the murine heart anlage (E8). Cardiomyocytes of different developmental stages proved GFP positive, but the intensity varied between cells. We further show that contractions of single GFP positive cardiomyocytes can be monitored within the intact embryo. At later stages of embryonic development, the skeletal musculature was also GFP positive, in line with the known expression pattern of cardiac α‐actin. The tissue specific labeling of organs is a powerful new tool for embryological as well as functional investigations in vivo.