Tg(Vil1-EGFP/Ocln)#Tjr

Mice bearing this transgene express a fusion protein composed of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) joined to the amino terminus of mouse occludin. The transgene contains 9 kb of mouse Vil1, extending from 3.5 kb upstream of the transcription initiation site through the 5.5-kb first intron to the translation initiation codon in the second exon, followed by the EGFP coding sequence joined to sequence encoding mouse occludin (Ocln) and the polyadenylation signal of the bovine growth hormone gene. In-vivo imaging of the mucosal surface of externalized, opened jejunal segments of transgenic mice using a multiphoton confocal inverted microscope and an argon laser at a spectral emission range of 490-568 nm showed the presence of EGFP-occludin both at the tight junctions and along lateral membranes of the intestinal epithelium in three independent transgenic lines. (J:53387, J:158798)