Esr2^{tm1.1(cre)Hze}

The targeting vector contained, from 5' to 3', a partial Esr2 sequence spanning exon 10 (including the endogenous stop codon), an internal ribosome entry site 2 (IRES2) sequence (allows translation initiation in the middle of an mRNA sequence), a Cre recombinase gene, a bovine growth hormone polyA sequence, an AttB site, a PGK promoter-Neomycin resistance gene-PGK polyA cassette, an frt5 site, an mRNA splice acceptor sequence, the 3' portion of the hygromycin gene (Hygro2) with SV40 polyA signal, and an AttP site. PhiC31-mediated recombination removed the AttB/AttP-flanked sequence (PGK-Neo-polyA::FRT5::RNA splice acceptor::3'hygro-polyA) and replaced it with the recombined AttB/AttP site (AttL). The resulting Esr2-IRES2-Cre-D mice were bred with C57BL/6J wildtype mice. Cre recombinase expression/activity largely recapitulates the endogenous Esr2 gene expression in the brain - observed mainly in medial amygdalar nucleus, bed nuclei of the stria terminalis, paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, cortical layer 6 and scattered neurons elsewhere in the brain. (J:146821)