Itgax-DreERT2 Mouse

The Itgax (integrin alpha X) gene encodes integrin αX (CD11c), a member of the leukocyte β2 integrin family. It non-covalently binds to the β2 subunit (CD18) to form the heterodimer CD11c/CD18 (αXβ2), also known as complement receptor 4 (CR4), which can recognize ligands such as iC3b and mediate cell adhesion and phagocytosis ^[1]. CD11c is a commonly used surface marker for dendritic cells; its expression level is relatively high on conventional dendritic cells, while relatively low on plasmacytoid dendritic cells. Among macrophages, alveolar macrophages are CD11c positive, whereas interstitial macrophages in the lung show limited expression ^[2-3]; in addition, neutrophils, some B cells and T cells, and a subset of NK cells also express CD11c ^[1].

Itgax-DreERT2 mice were generated by gene editing technology, in which the "Kozak-DreERT2-WPRE-BGH pA" cassette was inserted upstream of the start codon of the endogenous mouse Itgax gene. In the absence of tamoxifen treatment, DreERT2 recombinase is mainly localized in the cytoplasm; after tamoxifen treatment, DreERT2 recombinase enters the nucleus and exerts its recombination activity. When Itgax-DreERT2 mice are crossed with mice containing rox sites, after tamoxifen induction, the offspring are expected to undergo Dre recombinase-mediated sequence recombination between rox sites in Itgax-positive cells.