Nestin-Based Reporter Transgenic Mouse Lines

Nestin expression marks stem and progenitor cells of the neural lineage. Transgenic mouse lines, originally generated to identify neural stem cells, can also help to identify, track, and isolate stem and progenitor cells in a range of tissues of the ectodermal, endodermal, and mesodermal origin. Here, we describe the generation of transgenic mouse lines expressing fluorescent proteins (FP) under the control of critical regulatory elements of the nestin gene and their use for identifying and analyzing adult stem and progenitor cells in various tissues.