Conditional gene expression systems in the transgenic rat brain

Kai Schönig, Tillmann Weber, Ariana Frömmig, Lena Wendler, Brigitte Pesold, Dominik Djandji, Hermann Bujard, Dusan Bartsch

Turning gene expression on and off at will is one of the most powerful tools for the study of gene function in vivo. While several conditional systems were successful in invertebrates, in mice the Cre/loxP recombination system and the tet-controlled transcription activation system are predominant. Both expression systems allow for spatial and temporal control of gene activities, and, in the case of tet regulation, even for the reversible activation/inactivation of gene expression. Although the rat is the principal experimental model in biomedical research, in particular in studies of neuroscience, conditional rat transgenic systems are exceptionally rare in this species.