An Engineered Mouse to Identify Proliferating Cells and Their Derivatives

Area of Science:

• Developmental Biology
• Cell Biology
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Cell proliferation is crucial for development, disease, and tissue repair.
• Current methods like Ki67 or BrdU detect proliferating cells but don't trace their lineage over time.
• Understanding cell proliferation dynamics is vital for many biological questions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel mouse model for lineage tracing of proliferating cells.
• To utilize the Aurora kinase B (Aurkb) gene for tracking cell division.
• To enable long-term lineage analysis of cells derived from proliferation.

Main Methods:

• Generated a tamoxifen-inducible Cre reporter mouse by targeting the Aurkb allele.
• Assessed Aurkb mRNA expression patterns in relation to the cell cycle.
• Validated the reporter mouse in embryonic development and adult regenerative tissues.

Main Results:

• Aurkb transcription is tightly coupled to cell proliferation, detectable in G2 but not in telophase or quiescent cells.
• The Aurkb reporter mouse successfully labeled proliferating cells in embryonic and adult tissues.
• Quiescent cells, such as post-mitotic neurons, were not labeled, confirming specificity.

Conclusions:

• The Aurkb reporter mouse provides faithful lineage tracing of proliferating cells and their descendants.
• This tool offers a new genetic capability for studying cell proliferation and tissue regeneration.
• Enables detailed investigation of cell dynamics in development and repair processes.