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Cre recombinase resources for conditional mouse mutagenesis

Damian Smedley1, Ekaterina Salimova, Nadia Rosenthal

  • 1European Bioinformatics Institute, Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SA, UK.

Methods (San Diego, Calif.)
|January 4, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Conditional mutagenesis in mice is essential for modeling human diseases. This review details Cre driver mouse lines and databases, crucial for advancing genetic research and drug discovery.

Area of Science:

  • Genetics and Genomics
  • Developmental Biology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • The mouse is a key model organism for human disease and drug action studies.
  • Conditional mutagenesis enables precise gene function studies, especially for genes with pleiotropic effects.
  • Cre/loxP technology is central to creating conditional mouse mutants with spatial and temporal control.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide an updated overview of global Cre driver mouse lines.
  • To review public databases and portals for Cre driver line information.
  • To highlight the importance of well-characterized Cre driver lines for conditional mutagenesis.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of international activities in conditional mouse mutagenesis.
  • Analysis of Cre driver mouse line characteristics (efficiency, specificity, genetic background).
  • Evaluation of public databases and portals for Cre driver line data.

Main Results:

  • Significant advancements in sophisticated mouse genome manipulation.
  • The majority of new mouse mutants are conditional, utilizing Cre/loxP systems.
  • Availability of well-characterized Cre driver lines is critical for exploiting conditional mutant mice.

Conclusions:

  • Cre driver mouse lines are indispensable tools for conditional and inducible mutagenesis.
  • Public databases and portals are vital resources for researchers utilizing Cre driver lines.
  • The rapid progression of research necessitates continuous updates on available mouse resources.

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