Table I.
Summarized phenotypes of conditional c-Met KO mice (Cre-LoxP system).
| Organ | Target cells | Cre-expression (gene promoter) | Summarized outcomes | (Refs.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liver | Hepatocytes (oval cells) | Alb, Mx1, Alfp | Increased liver damage and fibrosis. Impaired liver regeneration. | (33–39) |
| Increase of apoptosis. Decrease of hepatocyte migration and proliferation. | (33–35) | |||
| Defects in redox regulation. Failure of hepatic stem cell mobilization. | (36,39) | |||
| Kidney | Tubular cells | HoxB7 (collecting duct), Ksp, γGT (proximal) | Reduction of uretic bud branching and nephrons. Decreased kidney regeneration. | (40,41) |
| Increased interstitial fibrosis, tubular necrosis and apoptosis. | (40,41) | |||
| Podocytes | Podocin | Increased podocyte injury and proteinuria. | (42) | |
| Lung | Alveolar type II cells | SP-C | Impaired airspace formation marked by reductions in alveolar epithelial cell abundance and survival. | (50,51) |
| Failure of the vascular system. | (50,51) | |||
| Pancreas | β-cells | RIP, Pdx | Impairment of glucose tolerance and glucose-dependent insulin secretion. | (52,53) |
| Incomplete maternal β-cell adaptation. Development of gestational diabetes mellitus. | (79) | |||
| Sensitive to injuries and decrease of β-cell regeneration. | (54,55) | |||
| Heart | Cardiomyocytes | α-MHC | Cardiomyocyte hypertrophy associated with interstitial fibrosis and systolic cardiac dysfunction. | (56) |
| Breast | Mammary epithelium | MMTV | Defects in branching in mammary glands. | (80) |
| Skin | Keratinocytes | K14 | Reepitheliazation after skin wounding. | (57) |
| Muscle | Satellite cells | Pax7 | Defective muscle regeneration in response to injury. | (81) |
| Eye | Retinal pigment | AAV injection | Reduction of retinal pigment epithelium migration epithelium into the outer retina of laser-injured eyes. | (82) |
| Neuron | Neurons in the dorsal pallium | Emx1 | Alteration of neuron architecture. Excitatory hyperconnectivity and hypoactivity. | (45–48) |
| All neural cells | Nestin | Deficit in contextual fear condition. | (45) | |
| Myenteric plexus neurons | Wnt1 | Reduced length of neurites and increased bowel injury. | (49) | |
| Immunity | Dendritic cells | Mx1 | Failure to emigrate toward lymph nodes during inflammation. Impaired contact hypersensitivity reaction. | (83) |
| Neutrophils | Mrp8 | Increased tumor growth and metastasis. | (43) | |
| T-cells | CD4 | Acceleration of age-related thymic involution. | (44) |
KO, knockout; Alb, albumin; Mx1, MX dynamin-like GTPase 1; Alfp, alpha-fetoprotein; HoxB7, homeobox B7; Ksp, kidney-specific; γGT, γ-glutamyl transferase; SP-C, surfactant protein-C; RIP, rat insulin promoter; Pdx, pancreatic duodenal homeobox; α-MHC, α-myosin heavy chain; MMTV, mouse mammary tumor virus; K14, keratin 14; Pax7, paired box 7; AAV, adeno-associated virus; Emx1, empty spiracles homeobox 1; Mrp8, myeloid-related protein 8; CD4, cluster of differentiation 4.