Pvalb-T2A-iCre Mouse

The Pvalb gene encodes the protein parvalbumin, a high-affinity calcium-binding protein structurally and functionally similar to calmodulin and troponin C, and is thought to be involved in muscle relaxation. Parvalbumin is primarily expressed in the kidneys and brain, and its expression in the nervous system is fundamental. It participates in excitatory and inhibitory chemical synaptic transmission and maintains normal neural function.

Pvalb-T2A-iCre mice were generated using gene editing technology to integrate a T2A-iCre expression cassette into the stop codon of the mouse endogenous Pvalb gene. Under the control of the Pvalb gene's regulatory elements, the iCre recombinase (a codon-optimized Cre recombinase) is expressed. The expression pattern of iCre recombinase is similar to that of the endogenous Pvalb gene. Using the 2A peptide for linkage avoids the drawbacks of low protein activity and low downstream gene expression in multi-gene expression processes. When Pvalb-T2A-iCre mice are crossed with mice containing loxP sites, Cre recombinase-mediated recombination between loxP sites will occur in the neurons expressing parvalbumin protein in the offspring.