Tg(Acp5-CFP,Ibsp-YFP,Dmp1-RFP)28-4-3Pmay

The transgene contains genes encoding optically distinct fluorescent proteins inserted into each of three mouse genes derived from two bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs), RP23-412o5 and RP23-395m11. The mouse genes are acid phosphatase 5, tartrate resistant (Acp5/TRAP), integrin binding sialoprotein (Ibsp) and dentin matrix protein 1 (Dmp1). The coding sequence for ECFP was inserted into Acp5, for Topaz into Ibsp and for mCherry into Dmp1. Ibsp-Topaz and Dmp1-mCherry exhibit bright fluorescence in the skull and mandible of newborn mouse pups and in the tail of adult mice. Fluorescence microscopy demonstrates that Ibsp-Topaz is expressed strongly in osteoblasts and weakly in osteocytes and hypertrophic chondrocytes, whereas Dmp1-mCherry is expressed strongly in osteocytes and weakly in subpopulations of osteoblasts and hypertrophic chondrocytes. The Acp5 reporter is expressed, though strongly, only in an occasional cell. (J:160963)