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Newly Available JAX^® Mice Strains

JAX^® NOTES Issue 511, Fall 2008

Below is a partial list (19) of newly available JAX^® Mice strains. For a complete list.
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Cre-lox Models

FVB-Tg(Ddx4-cre)1Dcas/J 006954

These Vasa-Cre or DEAD (Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp) box polypeptide 4, Dxd4-Cre mice may be useful in generating conditional or germ line knockouts in either males or females for studying infertility, gonadogenesis, gametogenesis, and the assembly, activation, and growth of primordial follicles.

B6.Cg-Tg(Itgax-cre)1-1Reiz/J 008068

Itgax-cre transgenic mice express Cre recombinase under the control of the mouse integrin alpha X (or Cd11c) promoter. Cre recombinase expression is detected in CD8^-, CD8⁺ dendritic cells, tissue-derived dendritic cells from lymph nodes, lung, epidermis, and plasmacytoid dendritic cells. This strain is an effective tool for generating tissue-specific targeted mutants for studying dendritic cell homeostasis and function.

B6.129S6-Tagln^tm2(cre)Yec/J 006878

Mice homozygous for this SM22alpha-CreKI allele are viable and fertile. They have a Cre-recombinase gene inserted into the endogenous transgelin (SM22alpha) locus, producing a null allele. Cre recombinase is active in adult smooth muscle cells (such as arteries, veins, and visceral organs) and cardiac myocytes but not in the same embryonic tissues. When crossed with a floxed gene of interest, double mutant mice are produced, which may be useful in studying smooth muscle and cardiac gene function, as well as cardiovascular disease.

C.Cg-Tg(tetO-cre)1Jaw/J 006244

These transgenic mice express Cre recombinase under the control of a tetracycline-responsive promoter element (TRE; tetO). When hemizygotes are bred with another transgenic line expressing either reverse tetracycline-controlled transactivator protein (rtTA) or tetracycline-controlled transactivator protein (tTA) under the control of tissue-specific promoters, bitransgenic offspring are produced in which Cre recombinase expression and Cre-mediated recombination can be regulated with the tetracycline analog, doxycycline. This strain is an effective tool for generating inducible, tissue-specific targeted mutants for studying cell lineage during development.

B6;129S-Tg(UBC-cre/ESR1)1Ejb/J 007001

When these Cre-ERT2 mice are bred with mice containing a loxP-flanked sequence of interest, they produce offspring in which tamoxifen-inducible, Cre-mediated recombination deletes the flanked sequences in widespread cells/tissues. Look for B6.Cg-Tg(Itgax-cre)1-1Reiz/J (008068, under development) fully congenic on the C57BL/6 genetic background coming soon.

C57BL/6-Fas^tm1Cgn/J 007895

Floxed tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, member 6 (Fas^fl) mice may be used to generate conditional mutants to study many aspects of immune function. For example, whereas deletion of Fas in T cells can lead to pulmonary fibrosis (a model of human idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis), deletion of Fas in B cells (using a cre-recombinase strain such as Stock Numbers 004126 or 006785) can result in a lymphoproliferative disorder.

B6;129P2-Mecp2^tm2Bird/J 006849

Mice with this X-linked loxP-flanked STOP mutation of the methyl CpG binding protein 2 gene (Mecp2^lox-Stop/y) may be useful in neurological and developmental studies of Rett syndrome or its amelioration following excision of the floxed-STOP cassette.

B6.129X1-Notch1^tm2Rko/GridJ 007181

Mice homozygous for this floxed Notch1 allele (fN1) possess loxP sites on either side of exon 1. When bred to mice expressing Cre recombinase, they produce offspring in which Notch1 is deleted in the cre-expressing tissue(s). This mutant may be used to generate tissue-specific conditional deletions for studying development in a wide range of tissues. For example, when crossed to a strain expressing Cre recombinase primarily in the nervous system (see Stock Number 003771), it may be useful in studies of apoptosis in neural development.

B6.129-Prdm1^tm1Clme/J 008100

These PR domain-containing 1 (Prdm1) floxed mice may be useful in generating conditional mutants for studying humoral immune response, plasma memory B-cells, and B-lymphocyte development and differentiation.

B6;129-Sirt1^tm1Ygu/J 008041

Sirtuin 1 floxed (SirT1^co/co) mice may be useful for generating conditional mutations to study the role of histone deacetylase during insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) signaling in mammary gland development and breast cancer, apoptosis, and metabolic diseases.

B6.Cg-Tg(Thy1-Brainbow1.1)MLich/J 007911

These Brainbow 1.1 (founder line M) mice allow mutually exclusive expression of three membrane-targeted fluorescent proteins in astrocytes throughout the brain, providing unambiguous delineation of boundaries between adjacent astrocytes in cre-recombined cells. Additionally, when used in conjunction with other Brainbow strains (Stock Numbers 007901, 007910, and 007921), they may be useful for neurobiological studies.

B6.Cg-Tg(Thy1-Brainbow2.1)RLich/J 007921

These Brainbow 2.1 (founder line R) mice allow labeling of individual neurons and glia in peripheral and central neurons with nuclear localized, membrane-targeted, or cytoplasmic fluorescent proteins in cre-recombined cells. They may also be useful in conjunction with other Brainbow strains (Stock Numbers 007901, 007910, and 007911) for neurobiological studies.

B6.Cg-Tg(Myh11-cre,-EGFP)2Mik/J 007742

These smMHC/Cre/eGFP transgenic mice may be useful in studies utilizing "Cre-lox" technology or fluorescent protein expression in smooth muscle, especially separation of vascular myocytes from the surrounding cellular environment to isolate muscle specific adaptations or disease responses.

Targeted Mutants

B6.129S4(Cg)-Arntl^tm1Weit/J 007668

These Bmal1-floxed mutant mice may be useful for generating conditional mutants (whole mouse or tissue-specific) to study the role of circadian clock/circadian rhythm in physiological and behavioral regulation.

B6.CBy-Dscam^del17/RwbJ 008000

Mice homozygous for this Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule (Dscam) mutation become severely uncoordinated, develop spontaneous seizures and kyphosis, and die shortly after birth. Retinal amacrine cells display defects in the arborization of processes and spacing of cell bodies. This strain may be useful for studying the retina and the mechanism of neuronal self-avoidance.

B6.Cg-Tg(Ins1-EGFP)1Hara/J 006864

These transgenic mice express enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) under the control of the mouse insulin I (Ins1) promoter. Fluorescence is detected in tissues where insulin I is normally expressed: pancreatic beta-cells from embryonic day (E)13.5 through adulthood. The expression pattern is similar to that seen in other stocks (Stock Numbers 006784 and 006866). MIP-GFP transgenic mice exhibit normal glucose tolerance and pancreatic insulin levels. The human growth hormone (hGH) sequence in the transgenic insert enhances expression of the EGFP, but hGH is not expressed. This strain may be useful for studying diabetes and pancreatic beta islet cell biology.

B6.Cg-Ins2^Akita Ldlr^tm1Her/J 006580

Heterozygous Akita mutant mice are a model of insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) with severe hyperglycemia (for additional information, see the datasheet for Stock Number 003548). LDLR homozygous mutants have elevated serum cholesterol levels (200-400 mg/dl), which can escalate to very high levels (> 2000 mg/dl) when the mice are fed a high fat diet. Additionally, Ldlr mutant mice are predisposed to develop atherosclerosis (for more information, see the data sheet for Stock Number 002207). These double mutant mice may be useful for studying diabetes, metabolism, hyperglycemia, atherosclerosis, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes-related macrovascular complications.

B6.Cg-Lgals3^tm1Poi/J 006338

Homozygotes carrying the lectin, galactose binding, soluble 3 (Lgals3) targeted mutation have an impaired acute inflammation response, abnormal chondrocyte differentiation during long bone development, and defective myofibroblast activation. This strain may be used to study bone development, endochondral ossification, inflammatory response, and liver fibrosis.

B6.129P2(Cg)-Rorc^tm2Litt/J 007572

Rorcγt^GFP mutant mice may be useful in studying immune system homeostasis, T cell repertoire selection, CD4/CD8 double positive (CD4⁺/CD8⁺) thymocyte survival, lymphoid organogenesis, proinflammatory T-helper cell (Th17) development, mucosal immunology, and the role of inflammatory disease in autoimmunity and cancer progression.