The platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha promoter-directed expression of cre recombinase in mouse placenta.

Numerous pathologies of pregnancy originate from placental dysfunction. It is essential to understand the functions of key genes in the placenta in order to discern the etiology of placental pathologies. A paucity of animal models that allow conditional and inducible expression of a target gene in the placenta is a major limitation for studying placental development and function. To study the platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRα)-directed and tamoxifen-induced Cre recombinase expression in the placenta, PDGFRα-CreER mice were crossed with mT/mG dual-fluorescent reporter mice. The expression of endogenous membrane-localized enhanced green fluorescent protein (mEGFP) and/or dTomato in the placenta was examined to identify PDGFRα promoter-directed Cre expression. Pregnant PDGFRα-CreER;mT/mG mice were treated with tamoxifen at various gestational ages. Upon tamoxifen treatment, reporter protein mEGFP was observed in the junctional zone (JZ) and chorionic plate (CP). Furthermore, a single dose of tamoxifen was sufficient to induce the recombination. PDGFRα-CreER expression is restricted to the JZ and CP of mouse placentas. PDGFRα-CreER mice provide a useful tool to conditionally knock out or overexpress a target gene in these regions of the mouse placenta. © 2019 The Authors. Developmental Dynamics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Anatomists.

Citation

Jean-Sebastien Wattez, Liping Qiao, Samuel Lee, David Renato Christopher Natale, Jianhua Shao. The platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha promoter-directed expression of cre recombinase in mouse placenta. Developmental dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists. 2019 May;248(5):363-374

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PMID: 30843624

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