This allele encodes the wild-type dicer protein with N-terminal Flag-HA-HA epitope tags; the DNA sequence encoding the tags was inserted immediatedly downstream of the translation initiating ATG. A single loxP site in intron 2 marks the site of Cre recombinase excision of a loxP-flanked neomycin resistance cassette. Immunofluorescence analysis of testis sections using anti-HA antibodies demonstrated high expression of the tagged protein in mitotic spermatogonia and the early meiotic stages, increasing to a maximum in early pachytene spermatocytes and subsequently diminishing but remaining detectable in later stages of spermiogenesis. (J:228491)