| First Author | Nishimura W | Year | 2015 |
| Journal | Endocr J | Volume | 62 |
| Issue | 1 | Pages | 37-51 |
| PubMed ID | 25273397 | Mgi Jnum | J:242187 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5904587 | Doi | 10.1507/endocrj.EJ14-0296 |
| Citation | Nishimura W, et al. (2015) Generation and characterization of MafA-Kusabira Orange mice. Endocr J 62(1):37-51 |
| abstractText | MafA and MafB are basic leucine zipper transcription factors expressed in mature pancreatic beta- and alpha-cells, respectively. MafA is not only an insulin gene transcription factor but is also critical for the maturation and maintenance of beta-cell function, whereas MafB is expressed in immature beta-cells during development and in compromised beta-cells in diabetes. In this study, we developed a mouse model to easily trace the promoter activity of MafA in beta-cells as a tool for studying beta-cell differentiation, maturation, regeneration and function using the expression of the fluorescent protein Kusabira Orange (KOr) driven by the BAC-mafA promoter. The expression of KOr was highly restricted to beta-cells in the transgenic pancreas. By crossing MafA-KOr mice with MafB(GFP/+) reporter mice, simultaneous monitoring of MafA and MafB expressions in the isolated islets was successfully performed. This system can be a useful tool for examining dynamic changes in the differentiation and function of pancreatic islets by visualizing the expressions of MafA and MafB. |
