Newly Available JAX® Mice Strains

JAX® NOTES Issue 515, Fall 2009

STOCK Tg(RARE-Hspa1b/lacZ)12Jrt/J 008477

This transgenic strain expresses beta-galactosidase (lacZ) gene under the control of the retinoic acid responsive element (RARE). Retinoic acid signaling is indicated by beta‑galactosidase activity. This strain may be used to track retinoic acid signaling patterns.

C57BL/6-Gt(ROSA)26Sortm3(CAG-MIRN17-92,-EGFP)Rsky/J 008517

This strain harbors the "miR-17-92 transgene" targeted to the Gt(ROSA)26Sor locus. The transgene has a loxP-flanked Neo-STOP cassette preventing transcription of the downstream human miR-17-92 cluster (encoding the precursor of seven miRNA molecules; miR-17-5p, miR-17-3p, miR-18a, miR-19a, miR-20a, miR-19b and miR-92). When this strain is bred to a strain that expresses Cre recombinase, the resulting offspring will have the STOP cassette deleted in tissue(s) that express Cre, resulting in expression of the human miR-17-92 cluster. This strain allows inducible expression of the human miR-17-92 cluster, which has been associated with lymphomas and other cancers, autoimmune defects, and altered expression of tumor suppressor and pro-apoptotic genes.

B6;C3-Tg(CAG-DsRed,-EGFP)5Gae/J 008605

This insulator/red/green (IRG) transgenic strain is a double‑fluorescent Cre-reporter strain. Before being exposed to Cre recombinase, it widely expresses red fluorescent protein; after being exposed to Cre recombinase, it expresses green fluorescent protein (pattern determined by cre expression). It may be used to analyze complex cellular relationships in a wide variety of tissues.

NOD/ShiLt-Tg(Foxp3-EGFP/cre)1Jbs/J 008694

This strain expresses an enhanced green florescent protein (GFP) fused to a codon optimized "humanized" cre under the control of the mouse Foxp3 promoter. This Foxp3-GFP/cre strain may be used to research regulatory T cell function in autoimmunity.

C57BL/6-Tg(Pf4-cre)Q3Rsko/J 008535

This transgenic strain expresses a codon-improved Cre recombinase (iCre) under the control of the mouse Pf4 (platelet factor 4), or Cxcl4, promoter. Cre recombinase expression is detected in the majority of megakaryocytes. This strain may be used to generate megakaryocyte lineage-restricted specific‑targeted mutants.

CBy.SJL(B6)-Ptprca/J 006584

This strain harbors a variant of the protein tyrosine phosphatase type C receptor (Ptprc, commonly called CD45.1/Ly5.1) on the BALB/cByJ background. It may be used in transplantation studies.

FVB/N-Tg(CAG-EGFP,-ALPP)2.6Ggc/J 008200

Expression of the eGFP-F-IRES-hPLAP dicistronic gene in this piGAP transgenic reporter strain is blocked by an upstream loxP-flanked STOP-polyA sequence. When bred to mice that express Cre recombinase, this strain produces offspring in which the STOP-polyA sequence is deleted in cre-expressing tissue(s), permitting dicistronic expression of human Placental Alkaline Phosphatase (PLAP or ALPP) and farnesylated enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP-F). This strain allows Cre-inducible eGFP-F and hPLAP expression in multiple cell and tissue types.

C57BL/6-Foxp3tm1Flv/J 008374

This X-linked targeted reporter strain co-marks cells expressing the Foxp3 (forkhead box P3) gene with monomeric red fluorescent protein (mRFP). RFP expression faithfully marks gene expression in lymphocytes. This strain may be used to study Foxp3-expressing regulatory T cells.

B6.FVB-Tg(MMTV-neu/OT-I/OT-II)CBnel Tg(Trp53R172H)8512Jmr/J 007962

Approximately 85% of the compound mutant females of this strain develop focal mammary tumors at six to 10 months. Both virgins and breeders develop tumors. Approximately 37% of tumor-bearing mice develop metastatic disease to the lung. Neu is highly expressed in tumor tissue, but minimal expression is observed in the lungs and ovaries. Female mice carrying only the neuOT-I/OT-II mutation develop focal mammary tumors at approximately 18 months.

B6.129-Adipoqtm1Chan/J 008195

This adiponectin-deficient (Adipoq-/- or Adipo-/-) strain may be used to study obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, metabolism, inflammation, leukocyte-endothelium interactions, and colitis.

STOCK Tg(dlx6a-cre)1Mekk/J 008199

This Dlx5/6-Cre transgenic strain expresses Cre recombinase directed by the regulatory sequences of the zebrafish dlx5a/dlx6a genes and may be used to generate specific deletions of floxed alleles in GABAergic forebrain neurons.

STOCK Fxntm1Mkn Tg(FXN)YG8Pook/J 008398

Mice that are homozygous for the Fxntm1Mkn (frataxin) targeted allele and hemizygous for the Tg(FXN)YG8Pook (frataxin, human) transgene display an age-dependent and tissue-specific expansion of the GAA repeat. The expansion accumulates in the CNS (particularly cerebellum), similar to the human pathology of Friedreich Ataxia.

B6.FVB(Cg)-Mmp9tm1Tvu/J 007084

This strain carries a targeted mutation of the matrix metalloproteinase 9 (Mmp9) gene. It may be used to study injury response and repair, angiogenesis, and inflammatory response.

B6.129S1-Tlr7tm1Flv/J 008380

This toll-like receptor 7 (Tlr7) targeted mutation strain may be used to study viral immunity. Homozygotes demonstrate reduced responses to in vivo infection with vesicular stomatitis virus. The lacZ reporter introduced under the geneÕs promoter shows that expression within mesenteric lymph nodes is normally confined to the perifollicular regions.

STOCK Mir106b-25tm1.1Tyj/J 008460

In this targeted mutant strain, the miR-106b~25 (microRNA106b-25) cluster, located in intron 13 of the Mcm (minichromosome maintenance deficient 7) gene is deleted. Homozygotes for this targeted mutation are viable, fertile, and look and behave normally. This strain may be used to characterize the Mcm genetic region, a paralog of the miR‑17~92 region.

NOD.129P2(B6)-Ctsbtm1Jde/RclJ 008051

This strain contains a neomycin cassette that disrupts exon 4 of cathepsin B (Ctsbtm1Jde). NOD Ctsb-deficient mice exhibit modestly delayed diabetes onset. This model may be used to identify the molecular pathways of major lysosomal cysteine proteases, specifically cathepsin B, in immune modulation.

B6.129X1-Ebi3tm1Rsb/J 008691

This strain harbors a knockout of the Epstein-Barr virus induced gene 3 (Ebi3) and may be used to study Foxp3+ regulatory T cell (Treg) function, IL12 heterodimeric cytokines (such as IL-35 and IL-27), IFNgamma production, and Th1/Th2 immune responses (including inflammatory bowel disease).

STOCK Tg(Stra8-cre)1Reb/J 008208

This Stra8-cre transgenic strain expresses an optimized variant of Cre recombinase (iCre) directed by the 1.4 kb mouse genomic promoter fragment. When Stra8-cre transgenic males are bred with female mice containing a loxP-flanked sequence, offspring are produced in which Cre-mediated recombination deletes the floxed sequence during specific stages of spermatogenesis. This strain may be used to generate conditional knockouts in postnatal, premeiotic, male germ cells.

B6.Cg-Tg(Vav1-cre)A2Kio/J 008610

This strain harbors the Vav-iCre transgene, the mouse HS21/45 -vav control regiondirects expression of an optimized variant of Cre recombinase (iCre) to hematopoietic cells (and their progenitors). It may be used to generate conditional mutations in hematopoietic cells.