Engineering lacZ Reporter gene into an ephA8 bacterial artificial chromosome using a highly efficient bacterial recombination system.

In this report, we describe an optimized method for generation of ephA8 BAC transgenic mice expressing the lacZ reporter gene under ephA8 regulatory sequences. First, we constructed a targeting vector that carries a 1.2 kb ephA8 DNA upstream of its first exon, a lacZ expression cassette, a kanamycin cassette, and a 0.7 kb ephA8 DNA downstream of its first exon. Second, the targeting vector was electroporated into cells containing the ephA8 BAC and pKOBEGA, in which recombinases induce a homologous recombination between the ephA8 BAC DNA and the targeting vector. Third, the FLP plasmid expressing the Flipase was electroporated into these bacteria to eliminate a kanamycin cassette from the recombinant BAC DNA. The appropriate structures of the modified ephA8 BAC DNA were confirmed by Southern analysis. Finally, BAC transgenic mouse embryos were generated by pronuclear injection of the recombinant BAC DNA. Whole mount X-gal staining revealed that the lacZ reporter expression is restricted to the anterior region of the developing midbrain in each transgenic embryo. These results indicate that the ephA8 BAC DNA contains most, if not all, regulatory sequences to direct temporal and spatial expression of the lacZ gene in vivo.