Caveolin 1-reporter protein knock-in mouse
The present invention embraces a transgenic mouse whose genome harbors a nucleic acid molecule encoding caveolin-1 fused in-frame with a reporter. To control expression of the Cav1-reporter, the nucleic acid molecule further includes a selectable marker expression cassette flanked by recombinase target sites in such a manner that, upon exposure to recombinase, said selectable marker expression cassette is excised from said nucleic acid molecule.
1. A caveolin-1 heterozygous transgenic mouse whose genome comprises an endogenous caveolin-1 gene and a stably integrated exogenous nucleic acid molecule encoding caveolin-1 fused in-frame with a reporter protein, wherein said exogenous nucleic acid molecule further includes a selectable marker expression cassette flanked by recombinase target sites in such a manner that, upon exposure to recombinase, said selectable marker expression cassette is excised from said exogenous nucleic acid molecule and said transgenic mouse is viable and fertile and has a reduced level of endogenous caveolin-1 as compared to a wild-type mouse.
2. The transgenic mouse of claim 1 , wherein the recombinase is Cre and the recombinase target sites are loxP sequences.
3. The transgenic mouse of claim 1 , wherein the recombinase is Flp and the recombinase target sites are Frt sequences.
4. The transgenic mouse of claim 1 , wherein the reporter protein is an autofluorescent protein.
5. The transgenic mouse of claim 1 , wherein the selectable marker expression cassette is a neomycin expression cassette.
6. A method for generating a mouse expressing caveolin-1 in an endothelial or adipocyte-specific manner comprising mating the transgenic mouse of claim 1 to a mouse whose genome comprises a nucleic acid molecule encoding a recombinase under the control of an endothelial or adipocyte-specific promoter, thereby generating a mouse expressing caveolin-1 in an endothelial or adipocyte-specific manner.
7. A mouse produced by the method of claim 6 .