Conditional restoration and inactivation of R bm47 reveal its tissue‐context requirement for viability and growth

Rbm47 encodes a RNA binding protein that is necessary for Cytidine to Uridine RNA editing. Rbm47 gt/gt mutant mice that harbor inactivated Rbm47 display poor viability. Here it was determined that the loss of Rbm47 gt/gt offspring is due to embryonic lethality at mid‐gestation. It was further showed that growth of the surviving Rbm47 gt/gt mutants is impaired. Rbm47 is expressed in both the visceral endoderm and the definitive endoderm. Using the utility of the switchable FlEx gene‐trap cassette and the activity of Cre and FLP recombinases to generate mice that conditionally inactivate and restore Rbm47 function in tissue‐specific manner, it was demonstrated that Rbm47 function is required in the embryo proper, and not the visceral endoderm, for viability and growth. genesis 54:115–122, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.