Herrmann Julia E, Pence Morgan A, Shapera Emanuel A, Shah Ravi R, Geoffroy Cédric G, Zheng Binhai
Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, California 92093, USA.
Genesis. 2010 Feb;48(2):101-5. doi: 10.1002/dvg.20587.
Ephrins and Eph receptor tyrosine kinases are cell-surface molecules that serve a multitude of functions in cell-cell communication in development, physiology, and disease. EphA4 is a promiscuous member of the EphA subclass of Eph receptors and can bind to both EphrinAs and EphrinBs. In addition to its well-established roles in guiding the development of neuronal connectivity, EphA4 has been implicated for a role in synaptic plasticity, vascular formation, axon regeneration, and central nervous system repair following injury. However, the study of its role in the adult stage has been hampered by confounding developmental defects in EphA4 germline mutants. Here, we report the generation and molecular characterization of an EphA4 conditional allele along with a novel null allele with a knockin fluorescent reporter gene (mCFP). The conditional allele will be useful in ascertaining postdevelopmental and/or cell type-specific function of EphA4 in physiology, injury, and disease.
Ephrin 蛋白和 Eph 受体酪氨酸激酶是细胞表面分子,在发育、生理和疾病过程中的细胞间通讯中发挥多种功能。EphA4 是 Eph 受体 EphA 亚类中的一个混杂成员,可与 EphrinA 蛋白和 EphrinB 蛋白结合。除了在引导神经元连接发育方面已确立的作用外,EphA4 还被认为在突触可塑性、血管形成、轴突再生以及损伤后中枢神经系统修复中发挥作用。然而,由于 EphA4 种系突变体中存在混杂的发育缺陷,对其在成年阶段作用的研究受到了阻碍。在此,我们报告了一个 EphA4 条件等位基因以及一个带有敲入荧光报告基因(mCFP)的新型无效等位基因的产生和分子特征。该条件等位基因将有助于确定 EphA4 在生理、损伤和疾病中的发育后和/或细胞类型特异性功能。