Generation of a floxed allele of the mouse BMP type II receptor gene

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) regulate a wide range of cellular functions that contribute to embryonic development from mesoderm formation to organogenesis. BMP type II receptor (BMPR-II) transduces BMP signals by forming heteromeric complexes with and phosphorylating BMP type I receptors. Heterozygous germline mutations of BMPR-H gene have been identified in patients with familial and sporadic primary pulmonary hypertension, indicating that BMPR-II may contribute to the maintenance of normal pulmonary vascular structure and function. Since embryos homozygous for a null BMPR-U allele died during gastrulation, precluding further studies of BMPR-II function in organ formation and in adult tissues, we generated mice carrying a conditional mutant BMPR-H allele in which exons 4 and 5 were flanked by loxP sequences. We anticipate that studies of mice carrying a floxed BMPR-H allele and a Cre transgene (under the control of a tissue-specific promoter) will enable characterization of the role of BMPR-II in specific cell types during development and in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. (c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.