IGBMC (Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire), Illkirch, France.
Dev Dyn. 2010 Dec;239(12):3260-74. doi: 10.1002/dvdy.22479.
Retinoic acid (RA), a vitamin A derivative, is synthesized by specific cell populations and acts as a diffusible embryonic signal activating ligand-inducible transcription factors, the RA receptors (RARs). RA-activatable transgenic systems have revealed many discrete, transient sites of RA action during development. However, there has been no attempt to permanently label the RA-activated cell lineages during mouse ontogenesis. We describe the characterization of a RA-activatable Cre transgene, which through crosses with a conditional reporter strain (the ROSA26R lacZ reporter), leads to a stable labeling of the cell populations experiencing RA signaling during embryogenesis. RA response-element (RARE)-driven Cre activity mimics at early stages the known activity of the corresponding RARE-lacZ transgene (Rossant et al.,1991). Stable labeling of the Cre-excised cell populations allows to trace the distribution of the RA-activated cell lineages at later stages. These are described in relationship with current models of RA activity in various developmental systems, including the embryonic caudal region, limb buds, hindbrain, sensory organs, and heart.
视黄酸（RA）是一种维生素 A 衍生物，由特定的细胞群合成，并作为一种扩散性的胚胎信号激活配体诱导转录因子，即 RA 受体（RARs）。RA 激活型转基因系统在发育过程中揭示了许多离散的、短暂的 RA 作用位点。然而，在小鼠个体发生过程中，还没有人试图永久标记 RA 激活的细胞谱系。我们描述了一种 RA 激活型 Cre 转基因的特征，该基因通过与条件性报告品系（ROSA26R lacZ 报告品系）杂交，导致在胚胎发生过程中经历 RA 信号的细胞群体得到稳定标记。RA 反应元件（RARE）驱动的 Cre 活性在早期阶段模拟了相应的 RARE-lacZ 转基因的已知活性（Rossant 等人，1991 年）。对 Cre 切除的细胞群体进行稳定标记，使得能够在以后的阶段追踪 RA 激活的细胞谱系的分布。这些与 RA 活性在各种发育系统中的现有模型有关，包括胚胎尾部区域、肢芽、后脑、感觉器官和心脏。
