The Platelet-derived Growth Factor Receptor alpha Promoter-directed Expression of Cre Recombinase in Mouse Placenta.

BACKGROUND: Numerous pathologies of pregnancy originate from placental dysfunction. It is essential to understand the functions of key genes in the placenta in order to discern the etiology of placental pathologies. A paucity of animal models that allow conditional and inducible expression of a target gene in the placenta is a major limitation for studying placental development and function.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDING: To study the platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha-directed and tamoxifen-induced Cre recombinase expression in the placenta, PDGFRα-CreER mice were crossed with mT/mG dual fluorescent reporter mice. The expression of endogenous membrane-localized EGFP and/or dTomato in the placenta was examined to identify PDGFRα promoter-directed Cre expression. Pregnant PDGFRα-CreER;mT/mG mice were treated with tamoxifen at various gestational ages. Upon tamoxifen treatment, reporter protein mEGFP was observed in the junctional zone (JZ) and chorionic plate (CP). Furthermore, a single dose of tamoxifen was sufficient to induce the recombination.

CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: PDGFRα-CreER expression is restricted to the JZ and CP of mouse placentas. PDGFRα-CreER mice provide a useful tool to conditionally knockout or over-express a target gene in these regions of the mouse placenta. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.