2014 Volume No 28 – pages 236-245
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Title: Col2CreERT2, a mouse model for a chondrocyte-specific and inducible gene deletion |
Author: M Chen, S Li, W Xie, B Wang, D Chen |
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Address: Department of Biochemistry, Rush University Medical Center, 1735 West Harrison Street, Cohn Research Building, Suite 508, Chicago, IL 60612, USA |
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E-mail: di_chen at rush.edu |
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Key Words: Animals, cartilage development, cartilage physiology, chondrocytes, gene expression. |
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Publication date: October 23rd 2014 |
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Abstract: In 2007 and 2008, we published two articles reporting a tamoxifen (TM)-inducible, chondrocyte-specific gene-targeting mouse model in which the expression of CreERT2 is driven by the type II collagen promoter (Col2CreERT2). The fusion protein is specifically expressed and translocated into the nucleus upon TM administration, which in turn triggers gene recombination. Since then, this animal model has become a powerful tool to study the molecular mechanism of skeletal development and degenerative cartilage diseases, including knee joint osteoarthritis (OA), temporomandibular joint (TMJ) OA, and intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration. In this review article, we summarise the application of Col2CreERT2 mice and discuss the potential usage of this animal model in a broad spectrum of cartilage development and molecular pathology studies. |
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Article download: Pages
236-245 (PDF file) |
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