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Published on: November 29, 2012
Generation of mice harboring a Sox4 conditional null allele
Alfredo Penzo-Méndez1, Peter Dy, Bhattaram Pallavi
1Department of Cell Biology and Orthopaedic Research Center, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA.
Genesis (New York, N.Y. : 2000)
|December 8, 2007
Summary
Researchers developed a conditional Sox4 knockout mouse model. This new tool overcomes early lethality, enabling further study of Sox4
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Sox4 is a transcription factor crucial for cell fate and differentiation.
- Sox4 plays a role in neuronal tissue, lymphocyte, heart, and bone development.
- Sox4-null mice exhibit embryonic lethality due to heart defects, limiting functional studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To create a conditional Sox4 knockout mouse model to overcome embryonic lethality.
- To enable in vivo studies of Sox4 function in various developmental processes.
Main Methods:
- Generation of mice with a conditional Sox4 null allele (Sox4fl+) by flanking the coding region with loxP sites.
- Validation of the conditional allele's efficiency in generating a null allele (Sox4fl-) upon Cre recombinase activity.
- Comparison of Sox4fl-/fl- embryo phenotypes with Sox4-/- embryos.
Main Results:
- Sox4fl+/fl+ mice are phenotypically indistinguishable from wild-type and express normal Sox4 levels.
- Cre-mediated recombination efficiently converts the Sox4fl+ allele to a null allele (Sox4fl-).
- Sox4fl-/fl- embryos display the same heart malformations as Sox4-/- embryos, confirming the conditional allele's function.
Conclusions:
- The developed Sox4 conditional null allele is a valuable tool for studying Sox4 functions.
- This model overcomes the limitations of early lethality in Sox4-null mice.
- Further in vivo investigations into Sox4's roles in development are now feasible.
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