ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Hox genes encode transcription factors that are important for establishing the body plan. Hoxa5 is a member of the mammalian Hox5 paralogous group that regulates the patterning and morphology of the cervical-thoracic region of the axial skeleton. Hoxa5 also plays crucial functions in lung morphogenesis. RESULTS: We generated a Hoxa5eGFP reporter mouse line using CRISPR technology, allowing real-time visualization of Hoxa5 expression. Hoxa5eGFP recapitulates reported embryonic Hoxa5 mRNA expression patterns. Specifically, Hoxa5eGFP can be visualized in the developing mouse neural tube, somites, lung, diaphragm, foregut, and midgut, among other organs. In the stomach, posteriorly biased Hoxa5eGFP expression correlates with a drastic morphological reduction of the corpus in Hox5 paralogous mutants. Expression of Hoxa5eGFP in the lung continues in all lung fibroblast populations through postnatal and adult stages. CONCLUSIONS: We identified cell types that express Hoxa5 in postnatal and adult mouse lungs, including various fibroblasts and vascular endothelial cells. This reporter line will be a powerful tool for studies of the function of Hoxa5 during mouse development, homeostasis, and disease processes.
