Expression of Cre recombinase in the developing mouse limb bud driven by a <i>Prxl</i> enhancer

TLDR

This regulatory element drives Cre expression throughout early limb bud mesenchyme and in a subset of craniofacial mesenchyme. The Prx1‑Cre mice are intended to enable functional analysis of genes during limb development. Using a Prx1 limb enhancer, the authors produced transgenic mice in which Cre recombinase first appears in limb bud mesenchyme at 9.5 dpc, becomes fully recombined by 10.5 dpc, and is never detected in ectoderm. © 2002 Wiley‑Liss, Inc.; article appears in Genesis 33:77–80.

Abstract

Abstract Summary: We have used a Prx1 limb enhancer to drive expression of Cre Recombinase in transgenic mice. This regulatory element leads to Cre expression throughout the early limb bud mesenchyme and in a subset of craniofacial mesenchyme. Crossing a murine line carrying this transgene to a reporter mouse harboring a floxed Cre‐reporter cassette revealed that recombinase activity is first observed in the earliest limb bud at 9.5 dpc. By early to mid bud stages at 10.5 dpc recombination is essentially complete in all mesenchymal cells in the limb. Expression of the Cre recombinase was never detected in the limb bud ectoderm. The use of Prx1 – Cre mice should facilitate analysis of gene function in the developing limb. genesis 33:77–80, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.