The Need for Cre-loci Controls in Conditional Mouse Experiments: Mrp8-cre Transgene Predisposes Mice to Antibody-induced Arthritis

Overview

Journal Genes Immun

Date 2024 Dec 5

PMID 39632992

Authors

Zhongwei Xu

Laura Romero-Castillo

Alex Moreno-Giro

Rajan Kumar Pandey

Rikard Holmdahl

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The Cre/loxP system is extensively utilized to pinpoint gene functions in specific cell types or developmental stages, typically without major disturbance to the host's genome. However, we found that the random insertion of the Mrp8-cre transgene significantly promotes the host's innate immune response. This effect is characterized by elevated susceptibility to cartilage antibody-induced arthritis, likely due to interference with genes near the insertion site. These findings underscore the potential biological disturbances caused by random transgene integration, and the necessity for stringent control strategies to avoid biased interpretations when using Cre-conditional strains.

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