FIG. 7.

Inactivation of Nf1 influences the growth but not the tumorigenic properties of astrocytes derived from Nf1^GFAPCKO mice in vitro. (A) Cultured astrocytes were tested by PCR with specific primers to detect the presence of the Cre transgene, the conditional Nf1flox allele, and the recombined Nf1 allele. The recombined Nf1 allele (R-Nf1), as a result of Cre-mediated recombination of the conditional allele (floxNf1), is detected only in astrocytes that contain the Cre transgene (lanes 1 and 2) derived from astrocyte-specific Nf1 knockout mice. (B) Neurofibromin protein expression is lost in astrocytes in culture derived from the brains of GFAP-Cre Nf1flox/flox (Nf1^GFAPCKO) mice and reduced in astrocytes derived from GFAP-Cre Nf1flox/wt mice compared with astrocytes from the Nf1flox/flox littermates. (C) Cultured astrocytes derived from Nf1^GFAPCKO mice (Nf1CKO) show a growth advantage in comparison with control Nf1flox/flox (Nf1flox) astrocytes.