Background:The Cre/loxP system is most popular in mice,but its application in rats has largely lagged far behind.The rat is vital laboratory animal,especially in toxicological and neurological studies.Generating genet...Background:The Cre/loxP system is most popular in mice,but its application in rats has largely lagged far behind.The rat is vital laboratory animal,especially in toxicological and neurological studies.Generating genetic tools to manipulate neurons in rats could benefit neurological research.Methods:Using the CRISPR/Cas9 system,we inserted a Cre cassette into endogenous Thy1 and NeuN loci.Thy1-Cre rats featured a downstream P2A-linked insertion,while NeuN-Cre was inserted at the transcriptional start site.The Cre activity was assessed by crossing with a Cre reporter(Rosa26 imCherry)rat and through analyzing mCherry expression patterns.The specificity of cell type was further confirmed by immunofluorescence with NeuN antibody.Phenotypic consequences were assessed by crossing with ND1^(LSL) rats to deplete ND1,followed by monitoring weight/survival and conducting motor function tests.Results:We generated two neuron-specific rats(Thy1-Cre and NeuN-Cre),which exhibited high neuron-specific Cre expression in brain and spinal cord with minor leakage in other tissues.Thy1-Cre showed minor leakage in spleen,lung and kidney while NeuN-Cre showed minor leakage in spleen and kidney.ND1^(Thy1-Cre) and ND1^(NeuN-Cre) rats both showed decreased body weights and survival times.The ND1^(NeuN-Cre) rats died within two weeks,while ND1^(Thy1-Cre) rats lived longer with impaired motor function.Conclusions:We successfully generated two neuron-specific NeuN-Cre and Thy1-Cre rats,and systemically analyzed their expression pattern.展开更多
基金Research Project of China Baoyuan Investment Co.,Ltd,Grant/Award Number:Program CBYI202102Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem Innovation Fund,Grant/Award Number:HH24KYZX0007+4 种基金CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences,Grant/Award Number:2021-I2M-1-024,2021-I2M-1-034 and 2023-I2M-2-001Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities,Grant/Award Number:3332022040 and 3332023164Open Research Project in State Key Laboratory of Vascular Homeostasis and Remodeling,Peking University,Grant/Award Number:202411State Key Laboratory Special Fund,Grant/Award Number:2060204the Non-profit Central Research Institute Fund of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences,Grant/Award Number:2023-PT180-01.
文摘Background:The Cre/loxP system is most popular in mice,but its application in rats has largely lagged far behind.The rat is vital laboratory animal,especially in toxicological and neurological studies.Generating genetic tools to manipulate neurons in rats could benefit neurological research.Methods:Using the CRISPR/Cas9 system,we inserted a Cre cassette into endogenous Thy1 and NeuN loci.Thy1-Cre rats featured a downstream P2A-linked insertion,while NeuN-Cre was inserted at the transcriptional start site.The Cre activity was assessed by crossing with a Cre reporter(Rosa26 imCherry)rat and through analyzing mCherry expression patterns.The specificity of cell type was further confirmed by immunofluorescence with NeuN antibody.Phenotypic consequences were assessed by crossing with ND1^(LSL) rats to deplete ND1,followed by monitoring weight/survival and conducting motor function tests.Results:We generated two neuron-specific rats(Thy1-Cre and NeuN-Cre),which exhibited high neuron-specific Cre expression in brain and spinal cord with minor leakage in other tissues.Thy1-Cre showed minor leakage in spleen,lung and kidney while NeuN-Cre showed minor leakage in spleen and kidney.ND1^(Thy1-Cre) and ND1^(NeuN-Cre) rats both showed decreased body weights and survival times.The ND1^(NeuN-Cre) rats died within two weeks,while ND1^(Thy1-Cre) rats lived longer with impaired motor function.Conclusions:We successfully generated two neuron-specific NeuN-Cre and Thy1-Cre rats,and systemically analyzed their expression pattern.
