Generation of osteocyte-specific Cre mouse

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K15682
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Functional basic dentistry
• Research Institution: Tokyo Medical and Dental University
• Principal Investigator: Hayashi Mikihito 東京医科歯科大学, 大学院医歯学総合研究科, 助教 (50581914)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: Creマウス / 骨細胞

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Growing evidences suggest that osteocytes, which constitute a considerable fraction of bone cells, play a key role not only in the regulation of bone homeostasis, but also in the maintenance of whole body as an endocrine cell. Currently, Dmp1-Cre transgenic mice are widely used as an osteocyte-specific Cre mouse line to achieve osteocyte-specific gene deletion. However, recent reports suggest that Dmp1-Cre is also expressed in mature osteoblasts, muscle, certain brain cells, gastric and intestinal mesenchymal cells, as well as osteocytes. In this study, by performing transcriptomic analysis of osteoblastogenesis/osteocytogenesis and Dmp1-positive/negative calvarial cells derived from Dmp1-Cre CAG-CAT-EGFP mice, we identified the gene which exclusively expressed in osteocytes and generated truly osteocyte-specific Cre mice.

Free Research Field

骨代謝学