Newly Available JAX® Mice Strains
JAX® NOTES Issue 507, Fall 2007
Below is a partial list of newly available JAX® Mice strains. For a complete list, see New JAX® Mice Strains Recently Released for Distribution.
For ordering information, please contact Customer Service at orderquest@jax.org, 800-422-6423, or 207-288-5845.
B6;129S6-Chattm1(cre)Lowl/J
006410
Heterozygotes for this targeted mutation of the choline acetyltransferase (Chat) gene are viable and fertile. Because an "IRES-Cre" is inserted downstream of the stop codon, cre expression is controlled by the endogenous promoter with no reported effect on endogenous gene expression. Cre recombinase activity is reported in all cholinergic neurons. This Cre-lox strain may be used to research motor function, learning, memory, Alzheimer's disease, Down syndrome, obesity, and diabetes.
B6.Cg-Tg(Scgb1a1-Scnn1b)6608Bouc/J
006438
This transgenic strain overexpresses the laboratory mouse sodium channel, nonvoltage-gated 1 beta (Scnn1b) gene under the direction of the rat secretoglobin, family 1A, member 1 (uteroglobin) (Scgb1a1) promoter. The donating investigator reports that 80-90% of hemizygotes survive past postnatal day 14. Those that do not survive die from airway obstruction asphyxia. Mice in this strain exhibit chronic inflammation, neutrophil infiltration, chronic mucus hypersecretion, and emphysema. This strain may be used to research cystic fibrosis.
B6.Cg-Tg(HDexon1)61Gpb/J
006471
This strain is transgenic for the 5' end of the human HD gene carrying (CAG)115-(CAG)150 repeat expansions. This founder line (61Gpb) and another one similar to it, B6CBA-Tg(HDexon1)62Gpb/2J (004601), express the transgene ubiquitously. Mice in this strain exhibit a progressive neurological phenotype that mimics many of the features of HD, including choreiform-like movements, involuntary stereotypic movements, tremor, epileptic seizures, and nonmovement disorder components (including unusual vocalization). Mice with this transgene urinate frequently and lose weight and muscle bulk through the course of the disease. They develop Neuronal Intranuclear Inclusions (NII), which contain both the huntingtin and ubiquitin proteins. Previously unknown, these NII have subsequently been identified in human HD patients. This 61Gpb line reportedly develops HD symptoms between 15 and 21 weeks of age. This model may be used to research Huntington's disease.
STOCK Tg(Sim1-cre)1Lowl/J
006395
This strain expresses Cre recombinase under the direction of the laboratory mouse single-minded homolog 1 (Drosophila) (Sim1) gene. Hemizygotes are viable, fertile, and look and behave normally. They express Cre recombinase in all tissues that endogenously express Sim1, including the paraventricular hypothalamus and other parts of the brain. If bred with mice containing a loxP-flanked sequence of interest, offspring are produced in which cre recombinase is deleted in Sim1-expressing tissues. This strain may be used to research hypothalamus-related phenotypes, including body weight, obesity, and leptin metabolism; it may also be used as a reporter strain for Sim1-transcription factor activity.
STOCK Dicer1tm1Bdh/J
006001
This strain contains loxP sites on either side of exon 23 of the targeted Dicer1 (Dicer1) gene. Homozygotes are viable, fertile, and have no gross phenotypic or behavioral abnormalities. Despite an frt-flanked neomycin cassette, the expression of the targeted allele is indistinguishable from that in wild-type controls. Cre-mediated deletion of Dicer1 gene exon 23 in the germline arrests development at embryonic day 7.5 (E7.5). Tissue-specific deletion results in loss of microRNA (miRNA) processing. Mutants with cell/tissue-specific deletions of the endogenous Dicer1 gene generated with this strain may be used to research embryonic development, translation, protein processing, and miRNA/siRNA regulation of gene expression. For example, when crossed to a strain expressing Cre recombinase in mesenchyme, this strain may be used to research limb morphogenesis.
STOCK Tg(Zp3-EGFP)1Dean/J
006129
This strain expresses the zona pellucida 3-green fluorescent protein (Zp3-EGFP) fusion protein under the direction of the laboratory mouse zona pellucida glycoprotein 3 (Zp3) gene promoter. Hemizygotes are viable, fertile, and have no gross phenotypic abnormalities. EGFP is readily detected throughout the width of the zona pellucida but is not expressed in the surrounding somatic cells. Mutants synthesize, transport, secrete, and incorporate normal amounts of the transgenic fusion protein into the zona pellucida matrix. This strain may be used to research developmental and reproductive biology, including intracellular trafficking of zona pellucida proteins to the cell surface, oocyte development, and fertilization.
B6.129S2-Nr4a1tm1Jmi/J
006187
Homozygotes for this targeted mutation of the nuclear receptor subfamily 4, group A, member 1 (Nr4a1) gene are viable, fertile, and have no gross anatomical or behavioral abnormalities. No Nr4a1 transcript is detectable in the thymus. After being administered an acute neuroleptic dose of dopamine D2 receptor antagonists (haloperidol and/or raclopride), homozygotes exhibit reduced catalepsy and disrupted neuropeptide responses in the brain. Following LPS challenge, adrenal expression of Nr4a2 (also called Nurr1) is increased threefold. This strain may be used to research antipsychotic drug/neuroleptic therapies, schizophrenia, neurobiology, nuclear receptor family transcription pathways, the adrenal gland, and steroidogenesis.
B6.FVB-Tg(Npy-hrGFP)1Lowl/J
006417
This strain expresses the humanized Renilla green fluorescent protein (hrGFP, Stratagene) under control of the mouse neuropeptide Y (Npy) promoter. Hemizygotes are viable and fertile. UV light-exposed transgenic brain tissues show GFP fluorescence patterns consistent with the (Npy) gene. The donating investigator reports that the hrGFP expressed from this transgene is more stable and resistant to signal fading than is the expression from other GFPs. This strain may be used to research neurobiology, energy metabolism, obesity, seizures, and epilepsy.
B6.Cg-Tg(Cr2-cre)3Cgn/J
006368
This transgenic strain expresses Cre recombinase under the control of the mouse complement receptor 2 (Cr2) gene promoter. Homozygotes are viable, fertile, and look and behave normally. Cre recombinase expression is detected specifically in mature transitional B cells. Analysis of bone marrow indicates a 65-70% Cre recombinase efficiency in mature B cells. When mated to a strain containing loxP site flanked sequence of interest, offspring are produced in which Cre-mediated recombination deletes the targeted gene in mature B lymphocytes and follicular dendritic cells. This strain may be used to generate tissue-specific targeted mutants for researching lymphocyte development.
B6.Cg-Gt(ROSA)26Sortm1(rtTA,EGFP)Nagy/J
005670
Homozygotes are viable, fertile, and look and behave normally. Following introduction of cre-recombinase, functional rtTA and EGFP becomes active, deleting the loxP-flanked interrupter sequence and subsequent expression of the fusion protein. This strain may be used to generate triple transgenic mice in which the tissue specificity of any Cre-transgenic line and doxycycline inducibility of the rtTA/tet-O controlled transgenes can be combined.
B6.C-Tg(CMV-cre)1Cgn/J
006054
The cre gene in this strain is under the transcriptional control of a human cytomegalovirus minimal promoter and is likely to be expressed before implantation during early embryogenesis. Deletion of loxP-flanked genes occurs in all tissues, including germ cells. Because transgene transmission through males is restricted to female offspring, the cre gene appears to be X-linked.
