| First Author | Ren L | Year | 2004 |
| Journal | Genomics | Volume | 84 |
| Issue | 4 | Pages | 686-95 |
| PubMed ID | 15475246 | Mgi Jnum | J:118453 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3699629 | Doi | 10.1016/j.ygeno.2004.06.008 |
| Citation | Ren L, et al. (2004) Silencing of the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus by removal of all eight constant-region genes in a 200-kb region. Genomics 84(4):686-95 |
| abstractText | Silencing or removal of individual C (constant)-region genes and/or adjacent control sequences did not generate fully deficient Ig (immunoglobulin)- mice. A reason is that different C genes share many functional tasks and most importantly are individually capable of ensuring lymphocyte differentiation. Nevertheless, incomplete arrests in B-cell development were found, most pronounced at the onset of H-chain expression. Here we show that removal of 200 kb accommodating all C genes, Cmu-Cdelta-Cgamma3-Cgamma1-Cgamma2b-Cgamma2a-Cepsilon-Calpha, stops antibody production. For this two loxP targeting constructs were introduced into the most 5' C gene and the distal alpha 3' enhancer. Cre-loxP-mediated in vivo deletion was accompanied by extensive germ-line mosaicism, which could be separated by breeding. Homozygous C-gene deletion mice did not express Ig H or L chains and flow cytometry revealed a complete block in B-cell development. However, C-gene removal did not affect DNA rearrangement processes following locus activation, as recombination efficacy appears to be similar to what is found in normal mice. |