Trim43a, Trim43b, and Trim43c: Novel mouse genes expressed specifically in mouse preimplantation embryos

We describe the identification and characterization of Trim43a, Trim43b, and Trim43c genes, whose expression are restricted to preimplantation stages and peak at the 8-cell to morula stage. We identified a 5kb DNA fragment that covers upstream region of Trim43a as a putative promoter, which can drive the expression of mStrawberry fluorescent protein in a manner similar to endogenous Trim43 genes. Trim43 genes will be useful stage-specific markers for the study of preimplantation embryos.