Mouse Lines

Mcl (Clecsf8)

Mouse Mcl encodes a 219 amino acid-long, macrophage restricted C-type lectin, type II transmembrane protein with a single extracellular carbohydrate recognition domain localized in the NK (natural killer) gene complex in the telomeric region of mouse chromosome 6. Gene expression at the mRNA level has been observed almost exclusively in peritoneal macrophages and at much lower levels in bone marrow and lymph nodes. Such a restricted expression pattern may indicate a role in innate or acquired immune recognition and surveillance, in cell-cell adhesion functions during hematopoiesis or in cell migration.

Based on the genomic structure and the predicted functional domains, a targeting vector was designed where exons 2 to 4 were floxed by cre-recombinase recognition sites, removing the cytoplasmic, trans-membrane and neck domains.