Inducible Gene Targeting in Mice

TLDR

A method of gene targeting that allows the inducible inactivation of a target gene in mice is presented. The method employs an interferon‑responsive promoter to drive Cre recombinase, which excises a DNA polymerase β segment flanked by loxP sites. Deletion was complete in liver and nearly complete in lymphocytes within days, with partial deletion in other tissues, demonstrating that the approach can inducibly inactivate any gene in vivo.

Abstract

A method of gene targeting that allows the inducible inactivation of a target gene in mice is presented. The method uses an interferon-responsive promoter to control the expression of Cre recombinase. Here, Cre was used to delete a segment of the DNA polymerase β gene flanked by IoxP recombinase recognition sites. Deletion was complete in liver and nearly complete in lymphocytes within a few days, whereas partial deletion was obtained in other tissues. This method can be used for the inducible inactivation of any other gene in vivo.