Generation of an OMgp allelic series in mice

The study focuses on the limited ability of the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) to regenerate axons after injury, which is partly due to myelin's growth-restrictive nature. Oligodendrocyte myelin glycoprotein (OMgp) is identified as a major myelin-derived inhibitor of axon growth. To better understand OMgp's role in axon regeneration, researchers created a series of genetically modified mice with different OMgp alleles, including a null allele with and without a LacZ reporter, and a conditional allele. The conditional allele allows for the study of OMgp's temporal and tissue/cell type-specific roles in CNS injury-induced axonal plasticity by using an inducible Cre system to control when and where the OMgp gene is deleted.

• 1
  The study successfully generated an OMgp allelic series in mice, including a null allele with a LacZ reporter, one without a reporter gene (clean null), and a conditional allele.
• 2
  The LacZ reporter revealed that OMgp is highly expressed in the gray matter of the spinal cord, suggesting a significant role in neurons, in contrast to its proposed role as a white matter inhibitor.
• 3
  The OMgp conditional allele (OMgpFlox) showed reduced OMgp protein levels even before Cre-mediated deletion, but inducible gene deletion with tamoxifen treatment was still effective.