Odgren Lab Publications
Title
False-positive beta-galactosidase staining in osteoclasts by endogenous enzyme: studies in neonatal and month-old wild-type mice
UMMS Affiliation
Department of Cell Biology
Publication Date
9-22-2006
Document Type
Article
Subjects
Acid Phosphatase; Animals; Animals, Newborn; Bone and Bones; False Positive Reactions; Histocytochemistry; Isoenzymes; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Osteoclasts; beta-Galactosidase
Disciplines
Cell Biology
Abstract
Escherichia coli beta-galactosidase (beta-gal), encoded by the lacZ gene, has become an essential tool in studies of gene expression and function in higher eukaryotes. lac-Z is widely used as a marker gene to detect expression of transgenes or Cre recombinase driven by tissue-specific promoters. The timing and location of promoter activity is easily visualized in whole embryos or specific tissues using the cleavable, chromogenic substrate, 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-D-galactopyranoside (X-gal). The tissue specificity of promoters in transgenic constructs is routinely tested by using a promoter of choice to drive lacZ. Alternatively, the targeted expression of Cre recombinase to perform in vivo recombination of loxP sites can be visualized by beta-gal staining in mice carrying a Cre-activated lacZ transgene, such as the ROSA26 strain. In the course of our investigations, we examined beta-gal activity in bone tissue from genetically normal mice using standard detection methodology and found very high endogenous activity in bone-resorbing osteoclasts. This was true in frozen, paraffin, and glycol methacrylate sections. X-gal staining colocalized with the osteoclast marker, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP). beta-gal activity was present in osteoclasts in long bones, in the mandible, and in both neonatal and more mature animals. We present this brief article as a caution to those testing genetic models of skeletal gene expression using beta-gal as a marker gene.
DOI of Published Version
10.1080/03008200600860086
Source
Connect Tissue Res. 2006;47(4):229-34. Link to article on publisher's site
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Connective tissue research
Related Resources
PubMed ID
16987755
Repository Citation
Odgren, Paul R.; MacKay, Carole A.; Mason-Savas, April; Yang, Meilheng; Mailhot, Genevieve; and Birnbaum, Mark J., "False-positive beta-galactosidase staining in osteoclasts by endogenous enzyme: studies in neonatal and month-old wild-type mice" (2006). Odgren Lab Publications. 9.
https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/odgren/9