Elf5-Cre Mouse

The E26 transforming sequence (ETS) transcription factor family plays a key role in the embryogenesis or determination of cell subtypes in the endocellular clusters during mammary gland development. The E74-like ETS transcription factor 5 (ELF5) gene encodes a member of the epithelial-specific ETS family of transcription factors. In addition to playing a role in the late stages of terminal differentiation of keratinocytes, ELF5 also regulates many epithelial-specific genes in tissues containing glandular epithelium, such as the salivary glands and prostate ^[1]. ELF5 is an important regulator in the transformation and differentiation of mammary cell subtypes and is also considered a tumor suppressor transcription factor in breast cancer ^[2-3].

The Elf5-Cre mice were constructed using gene editing technology to insert the P2A-Cre expression element into the endogenous Elf5 gene of mice. The expression pattern of Cre recombinase is similar to that of the endogenous gene. When this strain is crossed with mice containing loxP sites, sequence recombination between loxP sites mediated by Cre recombinase can occur in tissues such as the mammary gland and uterus of offspring mice. The heterozygotes are viable and fertile.