Tissue-specific transgenic and knockout mice

Analysis of genetically engineered mice is crucial for our understanding of the in vivo function of genes and proteins in the whole organism. This includes inactivation of a gene or the generation of specific mutations. The development of knockout and transgenic technologies in the mouse, therefore, represents a powerful tool for elucidating gene function, for modeling of human diseases, and potentially for the evaluation of drugs. In particular, conditional gene targeting applying the Cre/loxP-mediated recombination system is increasingly used to evaluate the role of the gene of interest in a cell-type-specific or even inducible manner. The experimental steps start with the characterization of the gene locus, followed by construction of a vector, gene targeting in ES cells, and establishment of mouse lines carrying the desired mutation. These are then bred to transgenic mice expressing Cre recombinase in a tissue-specific manner, thus allowing gene inactivation in a cell type of interest.