TY - JOUR
T1 - Tie2-Cre transgenic mice
T2 - A new model for endothelial cell-lineage analysis in vivo
AU - Kisanuki, Yaz Y.
AU - Hammer, Robert E
AU - Miyazaki, Jun ichi
AU - Williams, S. Clay
AU - Richardson, James A
AU - Yanagisawa, Masashi
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank Thomas N. Sato for providing the Tie2 promoter/ enhancer DNA and Tie2-lacZ embryos. We also thank Cheryl E. Gariepy, David E. Clouthier, Toshiyuki Motoike, and Thomas N. Sato for suggestions and discussions. M.Y. is an Investigator, and Y.Y.K. is a former Associate of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. This work was supported in part by research funds from the Perot Family Foundation, W. M. Keck Foundation, and Tanabe Medical Frontier Conference.
PY - 2001/2/15
Y1 - 2001/2/15
N2 - Endocardial cells are thought to contribute at least in part to the formation of the endocardial cushion mesenchyme. Here, we created Tie2-Cre transgenic mice, in which expression of Cre recombinase is driven by an endothelial-specific promoter/enhancer. To analyze the lineage of Cre expressing cells, we used CAG-CAT-Z transgenic mice, in which expression of lacZ is activated only after Cre-mediated recombination. We detected pan-endothelial expression of the Cre transgene in Tie2-Cre;CAG-CAT-Z double-transgenic mice. This expression pattern is almost identical to Tie2-lacZ transgenic mice. However, interestingly, we observed strong and uniform lacZ expression in mesenchymal cells of the atrioventricular canal of Tie2-Cre;CAG-CAT-Z double-transgenic mice. We also detected lacZ expression in the mesenchymal cells in part of the proximal cardiac outflow tract, but not in the mesenchymal cells of the distal outflow tract and branchial arch arteries. LacZ staining in Tie2-Cre;CAG-CAT-Z embryos is consistent with endocardial-mesenchymal transformation in the atrioventricular canal and outflow tract regions. Our observations are consistent with previously reported results from Cx43-lacZ, Wnt1-Cre;R26R, and Pax3-Cre;R26R transgenic mice, in which lacZ expression in the cardiac outflow tract identified contributions in part from the cardiac neural crest. Tie2-Cre transgenic mice are a new genetic tool for the analyses of endothelial cell-lineage and endothelial cell-specific gene targeting.
AB - Endocardial cells are thought to contribute at least in part to the formation of the endocardial cushion mesenchyme. Here, we created Tie2-Cre transgenic mice, in which expression of Cre recombinase is driven by an endothelial-specific promoter/enhancer. To analyze the lineage of Cre expressing cells, we used CAG-CAT-Z transgenic mice, in which expression of lacZ is activated only after Cre-mediated recombination. We detected pan-endothelial expression of the Cre transgene in Tie2-Cre;CAG-CAT-Z double-transgenic mice. This expression pattern is almost identical to Tie2-lacZ transgenic mice. However, interestingly, we observed strong and uniform lacZ expression in mesenchymal cells of the atrioventricular canal of Tie2-Cre;CAG-CAT-Z double-transgenic mice. We also detected lacZ expression in the mesenchymal cells in part of the proximal cardiac outflow tract, but not in the mesenchymal cells of the distal outflow tract and branchial arch arteries. LacZ staining in Tie2-Cre;CAG-CAT-Z embryos is consistent with endocardial-mesenchymal transformation in the atrioventricular canal and outflow tract regions. Our observations are consistent with previously reported results from Cx43-lacZ, Wnt1-Cre;R26R, and Pax3-Cre;R26R transgenic mice, in which lacZ expression in the cardiac outflow tract identified contributions in part from the cardiac neural crest. Tie2-Cre transgenic mice are a new genetic tool for the analyses of endothelial cell-lineage and endothelial cell-specific gene targeting.
KW - Atrioventricular canal
KW - Cardiac outflow tract
KW - Cre-loxP
KW - Endocardial cushion
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0035865048&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0035865048&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1006/dbio.2000.0106
DO - 10.1006/dbio.2000.0106
M3 - Article
C2 - 11161575
AN - SCOPUS:0035865048
SN - 0012-1606
VL - 230
SP - 230
EP - 242
JO - Developmental Biology
JF - Developmental Biology
IS - 2
ER -