Cre-mediated recombination efficiency and transgene expression patterns of three retinal bipolar cell-expressing Cre transgenic mouse lines.

Retinal bipolar cells, comprising multiple types, play an essential role in segregating visual information into multiple parallel pathways in the retina. The ability to manipulate gene expression in specific bipolar cell type(s) in the retina is important for understanding the molecular basis of their normal physiological functions and diseases/disorders. The Cre/LoxP recombination system has become an important tool for allowing gene manipulation in vivo, especially with the increasing availability of cell- and tissue-specific Cre transgenic mouse lines. Detailed in vivo examination of the Cre/LoxP recombination efficiency and the transgene expression patterns for cell- and tissue-specific Cre transgenic mouse lines is essential for evaluating their utility. In this study, we investigated the Cre-mediated recombination efficiency and transgene expression patterns of retinal bipolar cell-expressing Cre transgenic lines by crossing with a Cre reporter mouse line and through Cre-dependent recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vector-mediated transgene delivery.

Pubmed ID: 23805038 RIS Download