Experimental Animal Division

Glycinergic neuron Cre-driver mice

C57BL/6-Slc6a5<tm1.1(cre)Ksak> (RBRC10109)

Courtesy of Toshikazu Kakizaki, Ph.D.

X-gal staining of midbrain and hindbrain sections from adult GLYT2-Cre KI/R26R double transgenic mice.
X-gal positive signals were detected in a specific region consisting of glycinergic neuron.

Glycinergic neuron is a major inhibitory neuron in central nervous system (brainstem, spinal cord, etc.), which control various physiological functions (sensory, motor, respiratory, etc.) depending on the activity of glycine neurotransmitter transportation. GLYT2-Cre KI mice (RBRC10109) is a useful Cre driver strain for glycinergic neuron related research. GLYT2-Cre KI mice express Cre-recombinase under the control of endogenous Glyt2 (Slc6a5) gene promoter. Because GLYT2 (glycine transporter 2) localize to glycinergic neuron, GLYT2 is known to be a specific marker of glycinergic neuron. Depositor (Dr. Kakizaki) and his colleague clarified that GLYT2-Cre KI mice express Cre recombinase in glycinergic neuron by mating experiments with Cre-reporter (R26R) mice and this expression region is colocalized to Glyt2 mRNA expression region. It means that GLYT2-Cre KI mice allow the gene manipulation by Cre/loxP recombination system in glycinergic neuron. GLYT2-Cre KI mice will offer new insight into the functions and mechanisms of glycinergic neuron and glycinergic neurotransmitter in vivo.