Identification of a Prg4-expressing articular cartilage progenitor cell population in mice.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To generate knockin mice that express a tamoxifen-inducible Cre recombinase from the Prg4 locus (Prg4(GFPCreERt2) mice) and to use these animals to fate-map the progeny of Prg4-positive articular cartilage cells at various ages.

Methods

We crossed Prg4(GFPCreERt2) mice with Rosa26(floxlacZ) or Rosa26(mTmG) reporter strains, admin-istered tamoxifen to the double heterozygous offspring at different ages, and assayed Cre-mediated recom-bination by histochemistry and/or fluorescence microscopy.

Results

In 1-month-old mice, the expression of the Prg4(GFPCreERt2) allele mirrored the expression of endogenous Prg4 and, when tamoxifen was admin-istered for 10 days, caused Cre-mediated recombination in ∼70% of the superficial-most chondrocytes. Prg4(GFPCreERt2)-expres

SUBMITTER: Kozhemyakina E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4414823 | biostudies-literature | 2015 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature