Highly restricted expression of Cre recombinase in cerebellar Purkinje cells

✍ Scribed by Xin-Mei Zhang; Alam Hoi-Lam Ng; Julian A. Tanner; Wu-Tian Wu; Neal G. Copeland; Nancy A. Jenkins; Jian-Dong Huang

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2004
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 346 KB
• Volume: 40
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1526-954X
• DOI: 10.1002/gene.20062

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The Purkinje neuron, one of the most fascinating components of the cerebellar cortex, is involved in motor learning, motor coordination, and cognitive function. Purkinje cell protein 2 (Pcp2/L7) expression is highly restricted to Purkinje and retinal bipolar cells, where it has been exploited to enable highly specific, Cre recombinase‐mediated, site‐specific recombination. Previous studies showed that mice carrying a Cre transgene produced by insertion of Cre cDNA into a small 2.88‐kb Pcp2 DNA fragment expressed Cre in Purkinje cells; however, some Cre activity was also observed outside the target tissues. Here, we used Red‐mediated recombineering to insert Cre cDNA into a 173‐kb BAC carrying the entire intact Pcp2 gene, and characterize the resultant BAC/Cre transgenic mice for Cre expression. We show that BAC/Cre transgenic mice have exclusive Cre expression in Purkinje and bipolar cells and nowhere else. These mice will facilitate Purkinje cell and retinal bipolar cell‐specific genetic manipulation. genesis 40:45–51, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.