gfp mouse

8th gfp mouse
Monitoring the movement and lineage (ancestry) of a cell or a group of cells is a valuable tool for studying mammalian embryo development. These types of studies have contributed to our understanding of biological events such as: (1) migration of the neural crest, which is the precursor for the peripheral nerves, pigment cells, and valves of the heart; (2) movement of primordial germ cells that give rise to both sperm and eggs; (3) hematopoiesis (the formation of blood or blood cells in the living body); (4) gastrulation; (5) development of organs.

All of the traditional cell markers require the sacrifice of the animal. The green fluorescent protein (GFP) is ideal as a cell marker in mammals since the protein can be visualized in living cells. Initial attempts to use GFP in mice were not successful, due to the instability of the protein at normal body temperature. Recently, mutations have been made which enhance the thermostability of GFP (EGFP). Dr. Andras Nagy (Lunenfeld Institute, University of Toronto, and his colleagues generated a mouse that expresses EGFP by germline transmission. They demonstrated that the EGFP was detectable during embryonic development and in adult organs. This work is important for its demonstration that the mutated GFP can be used in mammals. The EGFP mouse has several practical applications, including embryonic stem (ES) cell research, and understanding early events in embryogenesis.