Conditional knockout (cKO) mice are genetically engineered animal models in which certain gene is inactivated in a specific tissue or on an inducible basis. Researchers can understand certain gene functions through time or tissue specific deletion to study the mechanisms of human disease.

Conditional knockout (cKO) mice are crucial tools for revealing gene functions, gaining proper understanding of human disease mechanisms, and verifying compound specificity. Conditional knockout (cKO) mouse models also allow precise control of gene expression for a functional protein target, providing an in vivo system to evaluate potential off-target effects of a drug.

Take, for example, Raly conditional knockout mouse - the liver-specific deletion of hnRNP Raly presents lower serum cholesterol and hepatic lipid content in the described mouse model. Further in vivo genome-wide mapping of RALY-binding pattern and interrogation of chromatin architecture have provided insights into the cooperative interactions of RALY, as well as its preferential binding patterns at gene promoter regions. DNA binding results suggest that RALY may be influencing cholesterogenesis by modulating collaborative interactions with transcriptional coactivators at the Srebp2 promoter.

Conditional knockout (cKO) models are often referred to as ‘floxed’ models due to the use of Cre/lox system in their development. The Cre-Lox recombination system enables the generation of tissue-specific or inducible knockouts with a high level of control over the spatial and temporal expression of genes, and greatly improves the efficiency and specificity in generating conditional mouse.

Here is the workflow of Cre-Lox system:

For more details about how conditional models are developed, visit our “Introduction to the Cre-Lox Recombination System” article.

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If you are planning generating conditional knockout mice, Cyagen’s experts can provide you with in-depth technical support and discuss your project plans. We also provide customize model generation strategies, helping develop your gene therapy research to publish high-impact articles.

Cyagen Knockout (KO) Catalog Models Repository

Over 10,000 ready-to-use knockout (KO) and conditional knockout (cKO) mouse models are available from the Cyagen Knockout Catalog Models repository with the following advantages compared to other KO repositories:

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