Generation of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated bicistronic knock-in ins1-cre driver mice

Exp Anim. 2016 Jul 29;65(3):319-27. doi: 10.1538/expanim.16-0016. Epub 2016 Apr 7.

Abstract

In the present study, we generated novel cre driver mice for gene manipulation in pancreatic β cells. Using the CRISPR/Cas9 system, stop codon sequences of Ins1 were targeted for insertion of cre, including 2A sequences. A founder of C57BL/6J-Ins1(em1 (cre) Utr) strain was produced from an oocyte injected with pX330 containing the sequences encoding gRNA and Cas9 and a DNA donor plasmid carrying 2A-cre. (R26GRR x C57BL/6J-Ins1(em1 (cre) Utr)) F1 mice were histologically characterized for cre-loxP recombination in the embryonic and adult stages; cre-loxP recombination was observed in all pancreatic islets examined in which almost all insulin-positive cells showed tdsRed fluorescence, suggesting β cell-specific recombination. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in results of glucose tolerance test among genotypes (homo/hetero/wild). Taken together, these observations indicated that C57BL/6J-Ins1(em1 (cre) Utr) is useful for studies of glucose metabolism and the strategy of bicistronic cre knock-in using the CRISPR/Cas9 system could be useful for production of cre driver mice.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • CRISPR-Cas Systems*
  • Codon, Terminator / genetics
  • Crk-Associated Substrate Protein / administration & dosage
  • Gene Editing / methods*
  • Glucose / metabolism
  • Injections
  • Insulin / genetics*
  • Insulin-Secreting Cells*
  • Integrases / administration & dosage
  • Integrases / genetics*
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Mutant Strains* / genetics
  • Mutagenesis, Insertional
  • Oocytes
  • RNA / administration & dosage
  • Recombination, Genetic

Substances

  • Bcar1 protein, mouse
  • Codon, Terminator
  • Crk-Associated Substrate Protein
  • Ins1 protein, mouse
  • Insulin
  • RNA
  • Cre recombinase
  • Integrases
  • Glucose