Metalloprotease-disintegrin ADAM8: Expression analysis and targeted deletion in mice

ADAMS (a disintegrin and metalloprotease 8, also referred to as MS2/CD156a) is a membrane-anchored metalloprotease that was first identified in a macrophage cell line and has been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we evaluated the expression of ADAMS during mouse development and generated mice lacking ADAMS (Adam8-/- mice). During early mouse development, ADAMS is expressed by maternal cells in the decidua and by trophoblast derivatives of the embryo but not in the derivatives of the inner cell mass. At later stages, prominent expression of ADAMS is seen in the embryo proper, in the gonadal ridge, thymus, developing cartilage and bone, brain and spinal cord, and in the mesenchyme in close proximity to the branch point between the jugular vein and developing lymphatic vessels. Examination of Adam8-/- mice, however, revealed no major defects in these or other structures during development or in adult tissues and no evident pathological phenotypes. (C) 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.