- Carries an EGFP transgene driven by the human Tyrosine Hydroxylase (hTH) promoter.
- The hTH-GFP transgene is NOT located on the X chromosome. This is a key difference from model 12141 (X-linked transgene). Additionally, model 12108 exhibits ectopic GFP expression in olfactory bulb whereas the GFP expression in model 12141 (the X-linked version) has more specificity for TH neurons.
- High level EGFP expression observed in dopaminergic neurons in brain structures such as, substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area, striatum, olfactory bulb, and hypothalamus, with minimal ectopic expression elsewhere in the brain.
- Dopamine neurons are susceptible to damage/loss in Parkinson's disease and therefore this rat can be used as a tool to study damage/loss of dopamine neurons, e.g., after MPTP or 6-OHDA treatment.
- Useful for in vivo anatomical visualization and micro-dissection of rat midbrain structures and axonal projections. High EGFP expression permits fluorescence imaging of brain slices.
- Useful for FACS purification and in vitro culture of dopamine neurons for studies of disease pathogenesis in culture.
Since EGFP is more easily detected than TH immunostaining at early developmental stages, this rat may be particularly useful for early embryonic studies of the development of dopamine neurons.
- Since EGFP is more easily detected than TH immunostaining at early developmental stages, this rat may be particularly useful for early embryonic studies of the development of dopamine neurons.
- Homozygous rats were not identified from a carrier x carrier mating format suggesting the model is homozygous lethal. Further analysis will be carried out and our website will be updated once more information is available. Carrier x WT mating format is currently recommended for breeding.
Orders by weight: Taconic cannot accept orders by weight for this model. Please note that shipments may contain animals with a larger weight variation.
Origin:
The hTH-GFP rat was developed in collaboration between The Michael J Fox Foundation, Thomas Jefferson University, and Taconic. DNA fragments including 10.794 kb of the distal hTH promoter and 1.168 kb of proximal hTH promoter were ligated and placed upstream of the GFP reporter gene to create the hTH-GFP construct. This model was created through pronuclear injection of the hTH-GFP construct into NTac:SD zygotes. hTH-GFP founder line 7 (model 12108) was bred to NTac:SD for initial characterization. The colony was maintained by mating a NTac:SD female with a hemizygous male to produce hemizygous pups. Source:
Model Sponsor: The Michael J. Fox Foundation Availability:
As of April 1, 2018, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) has instituted a new ordering policy for this model in an effort to prevent delays in order fulfillment, ensure models are shipped at the desired age, and maintain affordable pricing for all researchers accessing MJFF models. To achieve these goals, the new MJFF policy dictates that no one group can deplete the MJFF-sponsored colony. As such, orders will be limited to a total quantity of approximately 15-20 per researcher per month. Average lead time and age range may vary based on quantity and sex requested. Researchers requiring orders above this amount should establish a dedicated colony for their own use, either by breeding in-house or contracting with Taconic. For questions or concerns, please email
tools@michaeljfox.org.
Color:
Albino Species:
Rat
