June 2005 Mouse of the Month |
Analysis of Rho/Rho-kinase singnaling pathway Conditional Knockout by Transgenesis with Dominant Negative Form of Rho or Rho-kinase
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Expression of RhoA DN or Rho-K DN in the spinal motor neurons increased apoptosis. DBH-Cre mice specifically express Cre recombinase in neurons of developing spinal cord, sympathetic ganglion and dorsal root ganglion. | |
Research Application: cell morphology, cell adhesion, cell motility, and apoptosis These transgenic mice express a dominant-negative form for RhoA (RhoA DN) or for Rho-kinase (Rho-K DN) by using the Cre-loxP system to suppress the activity of these signaling molecules in developing tissues. The signaling through Rho GTPase is important in the regulation of cellular processes such as cell morphology, cell adhesion, cell motility, and apoptosis. The above figure shows an analysis on in vivo role of the Rho/Rho-kinase signaling pathway during development of motor neurons in the spinal cord by crossing CAT-RhoA DN or CAT-Rho-K DN with DBH-Cre transgenic mice. DEPOSITOR: Dr. Kazuto Kobayashi Reference: Kobayashi K, Takahashi M, Matsushita N, Miyazaki J, Koike M, Yaginuma H, Osumi N, Kaibuchi K, Kobayashi K. Survival of developing motor neurons mediated by Rho GTPase signaling pathway through Rho-kinase. J Neurosci. 2004 Apr 7;24 (14):3480-8. |