Cre-Mediated Recombination in Mouse Clara Cells #MMPMID18543320
Li H; Cho SN; Evans CM; Dickey BF; Jeong JW; DeMayo FJ
Genesis 2008[Jun]; 46 (6): 300-7 PMID18543320show ga
Clara cells are nonciliated secretory cells lining the respiratory epithelium and are easily identified by the expression of Clara cell secretory protein (CCSP). To investigate molecular mechanism(s) regulating Clara cell function in the lungs, Cre recombinase was inserted into exon 1 of the CCSP, generating two novel mouse models, CCSPCre-Neo and CCSPCre. These two models differ only by the inclusion of the neomycin resistance gene. These mice were bred to the R26R reporter mouse to investigate the tissue and cell specificity of Cre-mediated recombination. The efficiency of Cre recombination in the CCSPCre mouse model was higher than in the CCSPCre-Neo mouse model. Recombination was detected at D 4.5 in CCSPCre-Neo/R26R mice and at D 0.5 in CCSPCre/R26R mice. The CCSPCre-Neo and CCSPCre mouse models provide valuable tools for the ablation of genes in the post-natal mouse Clara cells.