Cre-mediated cerebellum- and hippocampus-restricted gene mutation in mousebrain

Using the phage P1-drived Cre/loxP recombination system, we have created a line of cre-transgenic mice in which the Cre-mediated gene deletion is rest ricted to granule cells of cerebellum and dentate gyrus of hippocampus. Low levels of deletion were also present in pyramidal cells of hippocampal CA1 and CA3 fields. The Cre/loxP recombination occurred prenatally. The recomb ination efficiencies in the granular layer of the cerebellum, the granular layer of the dentate gyrus, and the CA1 and CA3 pyramidal cells of the hipp ocampus were 34.0%, 23.1%, 3.0%, and 9.8%, respectively. This line of cre-t ransgenic mice should be conducive to studies of the effect of a gene mutat ion upon brain development and plasticity. (C) 2000 Academic Press.