Final published version
Licence: CC BY: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Genetically engineered multicistronic allele of Pmel yielding highly specific CreERT2-mediated recombination in the melanocyte lineage
AU - Wilkinson, Emma L.
AU - Brennan, Louise C.
AU - Harrison, Olivia J.
AU - Crane‐Smith, Zoe
AU - Gautier, Philippe
AU - Keighren, Margaret A.
AU - Budd, Peter
AU - Swaminathan, Karthic
AU - Machesky, Laura M.
AU - Allinson, Sarah L.
AU - Jackson, Ian J.
AU - Mort, Richard L.
PY - 2023/1/31
Y1 - 2023/1/31
N2 - Genetic approaches that allow lineage tracing are essential to our future understanding of melanocytes and melanoma. To date, the approaches used to label melanocytes in mice have relied on random integration of transgenes driven by the promoters of the Tyrosinase and Dopachrome tautomerase genes, knock-in to the Dopachrome tautomerase locus or knock-in to the Mlana locus in a bacterial artificial chromosome. These strategies result in expression in other tissues such as telencephalon and other cell types such as nerves. Here we used homologous recombination in mouse embryonic stem cells to generate a targeted multicistronic allele of the Pmel locus that drives melanocyte-specific expression of CreERT2, nuclear localised H2B-Cerulean and membrane localised marcks-mKate2 allowing live imaging of melanocytes and activation of other conditional alleles. We combined this allele with R26R-EYFP mice allowing induction of EYFP expression on administration of tamoxifen or its metabolite 4-OHT. The fluorescent proteins H2B-Cerulean and marcks-mKate2 label the cell nucleus and plasma membrane respectively allowing live imaging and FACS isolation of melanoblasts and melanocytes as well as serving to provide an internal control allowing estimation of recombination efficiency after administration of tamoxifen. We demonstrate the utility of the transgene in embryonic and adult tissues.
AB - Genetic approaches that allow lineage tracing are essential to our future understanding of melanocytes and melanoma. To date, the approaches used to label melanocytes in mice have relied on random integration of transgenes driven by the promoters of the Tyrosinase and Dopachrome tautomerase genes, knock-in to the Dopachrome tautomerase locus or knock-in to the Mlana locus in a bacterial artificial chromosome. These strategies result in expression in other tissues such as telencephalon and other cell types such as nerves. Here we used homologous recombination in mouse embryonic stem cells to generate a targeted multicistronic allele of the Pmel locus that drives melanocyte-specific expression of CreERT2, nuclear localised H2B-Cerulean and membrane localised marcks-mKate2 allowing live imaging of melanocytes and activation of other conditional alleles. We combined this allele with R26R-EYFP mice allowing induction of EYFP expression on administration of tamoxifen or its metabolite 4-OHT. The fluorescent proteins H2B-Cerulean and marcks-mKate2 label the cell nucleus and plasma membrane respectively allowing live imaging and FACS isolation of melanoblasts and melanocytes as well as serving to provide an internal control allowing estimation of recombination efficiency after administration of tamoxifen. We demonstrate the utility of the transgene in embryonic and adult tissues.
KW - Dermatology
KW - General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
KW - Oncology
U2 - 10.1111/pcmr.13076
DO - 10.1111/pcmr.13076
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 36412082
VL - 36
SP - 71
EP - 77
JO - Pigment Cell and Melanoma Research
JF - Pigment Cell and Melanoma Research
SN - 1755-1471
IS - 1
ER -