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Generation and Characterization of rgs5 Mutant Mice

Division of Matrix Biology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden,¹ Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden,² Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington³

Received 12 July 2007/ Returned for modification 17 August 2007/ Accepted 19 December 2007

Regulators of G-protein signaling (RGS) are involved in a wide variety of functions, including olfaction, vision, and cell migration. RGS5 has a perivascular expression pattern and was recently identified as a marker for brain pericytes. This suggests a role for RGS5 in vascular development and pericyte biology. We have created a mouse line which lacks the rgs5 gene and replaced it with a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter (rgs5^GFP/GFP). The mice are viable and fertile and display no obvious developmental defects, and the vasculature appears to develop normally with proper pericyte coverage. Also, no differences were observed in the vasculature under pathological conditions, such as tumor growth and oxygen-induced retinopathy. The GFP expression in pericytes of rgs5^GFP mice allows detection and sorting of these cells, thereby providing a valuable novel tool for pericyte research.

Published ahead of print on 22 January 2008.