Fate mapping of neural crest cells during eye development using a protein 0 promoter-driven transgenic technique

Purpose To map neural crest cell fate during eye development. Methods Neural crest cells were tracked in developing mouse eyes using a transgene expressing Cre recombinase controlled by the Protein 0 promoter and a Rosa26 Cre-responsive reporter gene that produced beta-galactosidase after Cre-mediated recombination. Results beta-galactosidase-positive cells were detected in the periocular segment on embryonic day (E) 9.5. Several neural crest cell-derived tissues including corneal stroma, corneal endothelium, iridocorneal angle, ciliary body, primary vitreous and eyelid were strongly stained on E13.5-E18.5. The staining decreased in the corneal stroma after birth, but persisted in the presumptive iridocorneal angle. Conclusions Protein 0-Cre transgenic mice offer a conditional knock-out strategy to investigate anterior eye segment differentiation.