Mouse Genetic Engineering: Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Technology

Baylor College of Medicine Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Center

Center URL: https://www.bcm.edu/research/centers/iddrc/
Core URL: http://mrrc.bcm.tmc.edu/cores/m-escell.html

Core Personnel
Core Director: Graeme Mardon, Ph.D.
Core Staff: Isabel Lorenzo, B.S.

Core Keywords
Mouse Genetic Engineering; Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Technology

Core Description

Many of the MRDDRC projects involve generating mutations in the germ line and somatic tissues of mice by performing homologous recombination in Embryonic Stem (ES) cells. The procedures for the manipulation of ES cells and the construction of mice are capital intensive and technically demanding. There are many different types of alleles which the Core will be able to help to establish in the mouse germ line. These alleles vary in complexity from "simple" knockouts to more sophisticated alterations generated through successive manipulations of ES cells. For example, this might include the generation of chromosomal deficiencies, the generation of conditional alleles such as flanking an exon of a gene with loxP sites and targeting Cre to specific loci. All of these allele types have been generated previously by the Core and therefore this should not present any specific problem.

Services

A summary of the types of alleles which will be generated by the Core is available on the Baylor College of Medicine Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Technology web page. The Core will be set up to assist various projects studying mental retardation with the generation of mice with targeted mutations. Having mouse models for various MRDDRC disorders is an essential step for studies aimed at understanding pathogenesis as well as for any investigations involving therapeutic intervention. Investigators will be able to receive the assistance of the Core at several phases in their experiments: