In vivo genetic labeling of primary cilia in developing astrocytes
Abstract Background Astrocyte cilia are largely understudied due to the lack of available tools. Astrocyte research advanced with the establishment of Aldh1l1-Cre ERT2 , an inducible Cre line that specifically targets the astrocyte lineage. Here, we develop and compare genetic models that label astr...
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BMC
2025-07-01
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| Series: | BMC Molecular and Cell Biology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12860-025-00547-7 |
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| author | Rachel Bear Claire Wei Tamara Caspary |
| author_facet | Rachel Bear Claire Wei Tamara Caspary |
| author_sort | Rachel Bear |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Astrocyte cilia are largely understudied due to the lack of available tools. Astrocyte research advanced with the establishment of Aldh1l1-Cre ERT2 , an inducible Cre line that specifically targets the astrocyte lineage. Here, we develop and compare genetic models that label astrocyte cilia in the developing prefrontal cortex (PFC) using Aldh1l1-Cre ERT2 and Cre-dependent cilia reporters. We evaluate these models by testing different tamoxifen-induction protocols and quantifying the percentage of astrocytes labeled with the cilia reporters. Results We show that tamoxifen dosage impacts the expression of cilia reporters in astrocytes. We uncover the maximum cilia-labeling efficiency using recombined, constitutively-expressed cilia reporters. Conclusion The data reveal that only a subset of SOX9- positive astrocytes in the PFC possess cilia throughout development. Our work highlights the utility of Cre-Lox systems to target specific cell types and the importance of carefully validating genetic models. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c95644a1b464424dbf8eac259326fa50 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2661-8850 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Molecular and Cell Biology |
| spelling | doaj-art-c95644a1b464424dbf8eac259326fa502025-08-20T04:02:41ZengBMCBMC Molecular and Cell Biology2661-88502025-07-012611510.1186/s12860-025-00547-7In vivo genetic labeling of primary cilia in developing astrocytesRachel Bear0Claire Wei1Tamara Caspary2Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of MedicineDepartment of Human Genetics, Emory University School of MedicineDepartment of Human Genetics, Emory University School of MedicineAbstract Background Astrocyte cilia are largely understudied due to the lack of available tools. Astrocyte research advanced with the establishment of Aldh1l1-Cre ERT2 , an inducible Cre line that specifically targets the astrocyte lineage. Here, we develop and compare genetic models that label astrocyte cilia in the developing prefrontal cortex (PFC) using Aldh1l1-Cre ERT2 and Cre-dependent cilia reporters. We evaluate these models by testing different tamoxifen-induction protocols and quantifying the percentage of astrocytes labeled with the cilia reporters. Results We show that tamoxifen dosage impacts the expression of cilia reporters in astrocytes. We uncover the maximum cilia-labeling efficiency using recombined, constitutively-expressed cilia reporters. Conclusion The data reveal that only a subset of SOX9- positive astrocytes in the PFC possess cilia throughout development. Our work highlights the utility of Cre-Lox systems to target specific cell types and the importance of carefully validating genetic models.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12860-025-00547-7AstrocytesPrimary ciliaDevelopmentGenetic models |
| spellingShingle | Rachel Bear Claire Wei Tamara Caspary In vivo genetic labeling of primary cilia in developing astrocytes BMC Molecular and Cell Biology Astrocytes Primary cilia Development Genetic models |
| title | In vivo genetic labeling of primary cilia in developing astrocytes |
| title_full | In vivo genetic labeling of primary cilia in developing astrocytes |
| title_fullStr | In vivo genetic labeling of primary cilia in developing astrocytes |
| title_full_unstemmed | In vivo genetic labeling of primary cilia in developing astrocytes |
| title_short | In vivo genetic labeling of primary cilia in developing astrocytes |
| title_sort | in vivo genetic labeling of primary cilia in developing astrocytes |
| topic | Astrocytes Primary cilia Development Genetic models |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12860-025-00547-7 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rachelbear invivogeneticlabelingofprimaryciliaindevelopingastrocytes AT clairewei invivogeneticlabelingofprimaryciliaindevelopingastrocytes AT tamaracaspary invivogeneticlabelingofprimaryciliaindevelopingastrocytes |