Characterization of a New, Inducible Transgenic Mouse Model with GFP Expression in Melanocytes and Their Precursors

October 2017 in “ Gene Expression Patterns ”

Sandeep S. Joshi, Bishal Tandukar, Maira Alejandra Castaneda, Shunlin Jiang, Ganesh Diwakar, Ronna Hertzano, Thomas J. Hornyak

melanocytes melanoblasts melanocyte stem cells hair follicles doxycycline GFP transgenic mouse model green fluorescent protein

Studysummary This study generated a Dct-H2BGFP mouse model that allows for effective identification and isolation of melanocytic cells in vivo, facilitating research into their molecular and biological properties. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

The study developed the Dct-H2BGFP transgenic mouse model, which enabled the specific isolation of melanocytes and their precursors through GFP expression regulated by doxycycline. GFP was expressed in melanoblasts, melanocyte stem cells, and differentiated melanocytes, co-localizing with label-retaining cells in hair follicles. The GFP-expressing cells exhibited high levels of melanocyte markers and differentiation genes, confirming their identity. This model was valuable for studying the molecular and biological properties of melanocytic cells in vivo.

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