Establishment and characterization of a novel transgenic mouse model with conditional expression of connexin 43 gene.

Author(s)

Lucas Martins Chaible

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB/SDI)
• Defense date: 2013-12-09

Examining board members

Maria Lucia Zaidan Dagli; Jose Ernesto Belizario; Marcos Roberto Chiaratti; Flavio Vieira Meirelles; Bryan Eric Strauss

• Advisor: Maria Lucia Zaidan Dagli; Marcus Alexandre Finzi Corat

Abstract

The connexins (Cx) comprise gap junctions type, and the Cx43 is the most prevalent. The decrease of its expression is related to various physiological changes. Its importance in vivo has been reported in mice with deletion of one allele of Cx43 (Cx43+/-), because the animals Cx43-/- are not viable. So all studies with this protein were performed with animals Cx43+/-. Thus, this paper proposes the creation of new a transgenic model for the study of Cx43 protein. For this, the Cx43 gene was reintegrated to the murine genome, but drived by doxycycline Teton inducible system. Gene expression vectors were constructed and validated in vitro and subsequent transfer to mouse zygotes by pronuclear microinjection. We got success in vector construction and functionality. The functionality of the vectors was confirmed in vitro using HeLa cells and E10. In experiments in vivo, despite adequate rates of birth, no one animal showed positive genotype for the transgene. (AU)