Gene Inactivation in Adult Long-Term Hematopoietic Stem Cells Using Inducible Mouse Models

The availability of mouse models that allow inducible long-term hematopoietic stem cell (LT-HSC)-specific gene deletion in adult mice has been limited. Therefore, analysis of gene function in adult LT-HSCs has mostly relied on models such as the interferon inducible Mx1-Cre model. Unfortunately, the Mx1-Cre strain has significant drawbacks due to lack of specificity towards the hematopoietic system, adverse effects of interferon induction on the interpretation of data, and Cre expression leakage. In this chapter, we will describe the use of other inducible models, the tamoxifen-inducible Cre-ERT and Cre-ERT2 strains, and how these mice can be used to study gene function in LT-HSC.