A transgenic mouse line expressing cre recombinase in pancreatic ss-cells

摘要

Transgenic mouse lines expressing Cre recombinase in a cell-specific and tissue-specific manner are essential tools for studying gene function and for developing suitable models for human diseases. Here, we used an expression cassette containing the full 5' untranslated region of the porcine insulin gene to generate a mouse line expressing Cre recombinase specifically in pancreatic beta-cells by pronuclear DNA microinjection. We obtained a founder animal that transmitted the construct to its descendants in a Mendelian fashion and whose descendants showed a clear activation of beta-galactosidase expression in pancreatic beta-cells after crossing into the ROSA26 lacZ reporter mouse line. Cre expression in other organs was negative except for the kidney, intestine, and the cerebral pons where beta-galactosidase activity was detected in a small percentage of the cells. This new mouse line is a valuable tool for recombination of floxed alleles in pancreatic beta-cells in vivo. genesis 50:437442, 2012. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.