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 Rosa 26 Cre-responsive reporter gene that produced β-galactosidase after Cre-mediated recombination. Results β-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.