Rosa26-CAG-Kaede Mouse

This strain is a fluorescently labeled model carrying a photoconvertible fluorescent protein (Kaede) reporter gene expression element, with Kaede protein expression regulated by the CAG promoter. Kaede protein emits bright green fluorescence and can be irreversibly converted to a red color. The intensity of the red fluorescence is comparable to the green fluorescence and remains stable under aerobic conditions. The green-to-red conversion is highly sensitive to UV or violet light exposure ^[1]. Cells expressing the Kaede protein can be exposed to UV light to convert the green fluorescence to red. The CAG promoter is constructed by integrating the chicken β-actin gene promoter, the cytomegalovirus (CMV) early enhancer, the rabbit β-actin gene splice acceptor, and the bovine globin polyA signal, known for its strong and stable real-time gene expression in various mammalian cells, making it a popular choice for driving gene expression in transgenic models.

Rosa26-CAG-Kaede mice are constructed by integrating the CAG promoter-Kozak-Kaede-WPRE-BGH pA gene expression cassette into intron 1 of the mouse Rosa26 safe harbor locus using gene editing technology. Kaede protein can be systemically expressed in the mice.