Nestin‐Cre transgenic mouse line Nes‐Cre1 mediates highly efficient Cre/loxP mediated recombination in the nervous system, kidney, and somite‐derived tissues

Abstract

Here we describe the generation of the Nes‐Cre1 transgenic mouse line in which Cre recombinase expression is controlled by the rat nestin promoter and intron 2 enhancer. This line has previously been used for conditional loss‐of‐function studies of various genes in the central nervous system and first branchial arch ectoderm. Here we report the detailed temporal and spatial recombination pattern of Nes‐Cre1 using three different reporters of Cre‐mediated recombination, ROSA26R (R26R), Z/AP, and Z/EG. Cre/loxP recombination was detected in embryos as early as the head‐fold stage. By embryonic day (E)15.5 recombination occurred in virtually all cells of the nervous system and unexpectedly also in somite‐derived tissues and kidneys. Tissues with little or no recombination included heart, liver, thymus, and lung. This study suggests that Nes‐Cre1‐mediated recombination occurs in progenitor cell types present in the neuroectoderm, the developing mesonephros, and the somites. genesis 44:355–360, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.