Gfi1^Cre mice have early onset progressive hearing loss and induce recombination in numerous inner ear non-hair cells.

ABSTRACT: Studies of developmental and functional biology largely rely on conditional expression of genes in a cell type-specific manner. Therefore, the importance of specificity and lack of inherent phenotypes for Cre-driver animals cannot be overemphasized. The Gfi1^Cre mouse is commonly used for conditional hair cell-specific gene deletion/reporter gene activation in the inner ear. Here, using immunofluorescence and flow cytometry, we show that the Gfi1^Cre mice produce a pattern of recombination that is not strictly limited to hair cells within the inner ear. We observe a broad expression of Cre recombinase in the Gfi1^Cre mouse neonatal inner ear, primarily in inner ear resident macrophages, which outnumber the hair cells. We further show that heterozygous Gfi1

SUBMITTER: Matern M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5299610 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature