Clec7a-P2A-CreERT2 Mouse

Clec7a (C-type lectin domain family 7, member A) gene encodes Dectin-1, which is a member of the C-type lectin superfamily and a type II transmembrane pattern recognition receptor. Its extracellular C-type lectin-like domain can recognize β-1,3/β-1,6-glucans derived from fungi and plants, playing a role in innate immune recognition ^[1]. It has been reported in the literature that Dectin-1 is expressed on macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells; in mouse tissues, alveolar macrophages, hepatic Kupffer cells, macrophages in the splenic red pulp and white pulp, as well as macrophages and dendritic cells in the intestinal lamina propria, are Dectin-1 positive ^[2].

Clec7a-P2A-CreERT2 mice were constructed using gene editing technology, in which the endogenous stop codon of the mouse Clec7a gene was replaced with the "P2A-CreERT2" cassette. In the absence of tamoxifen treatment, the CreERT2 recombinase is mainly localized in the cytoplasm; after tamoxifen treatment, the CreERT2 recombinase translocates into the nucleus and exerts its recombination function. When Clec7a-P2A-CreERT2 mice are crossed with mice harboring loxP sites, after tamoxifen induction, sequence recombination between loxP sites mediated by Cre recombinase is expected to occur in Clec7a-positive cells in the offspring. This model can be used for studies related to Clec7a-positive myeloid cells.