| First Author | Wang M | Year | 2024 |
| Journal | Front Cell Dev Biol | Volume | 12 |
| Pages | 1480217 | PubMed ID | 39479517 |
| Mgi Jnum | J:359127 | Mgi Id | MGI:7765250 |
| Doi | 10.3389/fcell.2024.1480217 | Citation | Wang M, et al. (2024) Extra-cerebral recombination activity of Emx1-Cre and nestin-Cre in the kidney. Front Cell Dev Biol 12:1480217 |
| abstractText | Individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are frequently diagnosed with comorbidities in other organs, indicating that NDD risk genes may have extra-cerebral functions. The engineered mouse models are pivotal in understanding the functions of candidate NDD genes. Here, we report that Emx1-Cre and nestin-Cre mouse strains, the popular tools to study brain development, also exhibit recombination activity in the kidney. We find that both Emx1-Cre and nestin-Cre can drive recombination in epithelial cells lining proximal and distal convoluted tubules of the nephron. Additionally, nestin-Cre drives recombination in the glomerulus of the nephron. Furthermore, we use Emx1-Cre and nestin-Cre to knock out Larp7, a gene linked to a human NDD called Alazami syndrome. We find that Larp7 knockout using nestin-Cre, but not Emx1-Cre, results in elevated blood urea nitrogen. This result suggests a compromised kidney function, reminiscent of recently revealed renal anomalies in Alazami syndrome patients. Many genes have been knocked out using Emx1-Cre and nestin-Cre to study their roles during embryonic neurogenesis. It will be of great interest to reinvestigate whether the renal development and function is affected in these existing mouse models. |
