Cre recombinase specificity defined by the tau locus
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Updated: Aug 21, 2026

Use of Alu Element Containing Minigenes to Analyze Circular RNAs
Published on: March 10, 2020
Ella Korets-Smith1, Lothar Lindemann, Kerry Lee Tucker
1Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, 600 University Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X5, Canada.
Abstract:
We generated a transgenic mouse line (tau::Cre) by targeting the Cre to the tau locus (Mapt). Based on previous reports on the expression of Tau during development, we expected the Cre recombinase to be expressed in a neuron-specific and pan-neuronal manner. However, intercrosses between the tau::Cre and the Cre-activatable reporter animals resulted in offspring with recombination either restricted to the nervous system or throughout the entire conceptus, indicating expression of Tau early in development. The percentage of neuron-specific excision was dependent on the Cre reporter used representing different Cre target sites in the mouse genome. In spite of the observed variability, our data suggest that the tau::Cre mouse line can be used for pan-neuronal recombination of floxed alleles when it is used with caution.
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