Cre-lox Plasmids
Background
The Cre-lox system, derived from P1 bacteriophage, is a potent and specific system for controlling gene expression. The protein Cre recombinase recognizes 34 bp loxP sites, and the orientation and location of the loxP sites determines how the genetic material will be rearranged. The schematic below shows the three types of rearrangements: inversion, deletion and translocation.
- Inversion: If the loxP sites are on the same DNA strand and are in opposite orientations, recombination results in an inversion and the region of DNA between the loxP sites is reversed.
- Deletion: If the sites face in the same direction, the sequence between the loxP sites is excised as a circular piece of DNA (and is not maintained).
- Translocation: If the sites are on separate DNA molecules, a translocation event is generated at the loxP sites.
For a more thorough introduction, check out Addgene’s Cre-lox blog post.
Based on these Cre-lox recombination principles, scientists have developed constructs to activate/inactivate genes when Cre is present. By expressing Cre at specific times or locations, you can precisely control expression of your gene of interest. Many Cre constructs also contain fluorescent labels that indicate if recombination has occurred, allowing for direct comparison of Cre+ and Cre- cells. While Cre-lox recombination is a very useful tool, Cre expression can be toxic in some systems, notably Drosophila. Read Addgene's Blog on Cre alternatives from Gerald Rubin's lab.
Cre-containing Plasmids
Scientists have developed ways to tightly control Cre expression and to optimize Cre expression once it is induced. Addgene has a wide variety of Cre recombinase plasmids. Special features include:
- Inducible Cre: These constructs require the addition of an exogenous ligand (e.g. tamoxifen) to activate Cre. One advantage of this system is tight temporal regulation.
- Promoter-regulated Cre: The promoter region defines the areas in which Cre will be expressed. Cre may be expressed globally under a broadly active promoter like CAG, or expressed only in a subset of cells under a more specific promoter (e.g. Rho-Cre is expressed in the retina).
- Fluorescent Cre: The fusion of Cre to a fluorescent reporter enables visualization of Cre expression.
- Optimized Cre: Codon-optimized Cre (iCre) is expressed at higher levels in mice than P1 bacteriophage Cre, facilitating high rates of Cre-driven recombination. CREM (or Cre-M) has been engineered to contain an intron, preventing Cre expression when cloning in E. coli. This alteration enables the generation of a single vector containing Cre and a floxed construct (unmodified Cre will cause recombination in E. coli, deleting the floxed portion of a construct during the cloning process). VCre and SCre are alternative Cre recombinases that recognize specific mutant loxP sites, VloxP and SloxP sites respectively.
- Split Cre: Cre recombinase is split in half into N and C terminal Cre fragments (NCre and CCre, respectively) and placed under the control of different promoters. Expression of both N and CCre in the same cell type allows for recombination of LoxP flanked DNA sequences.
Use the search box below to find the perfect Cre expression construct for your experiment. You can search the table for the promoter, fusion, or expression system of choice. We also offer ready-to-use viral preparations of select Cre expression plasmids. Addgene's viral service provides high-quality and high-titer viral preparations of plasmids that are currently in our repository. Both AAV and Lenti preps of Cre are available.
ID | Plasmid | Description | Promoter | Expression System | PI | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8394 | p209 pCMV-cre-K | Cre-K | CMV | Mammalian | Green | |
8395 | p210 pCMV-CREM | CREM | CMV | Mammalian | Green | |
8401 | p224 pCMV-RFP/CREM | floxed RFP within CREM | CMV | Mammalian | Green | |
8403 | p153 pPr-cre | Cre | probasin | Mammalian | Green | |
8404 | p236 pPr-CREM | CREM | probasin | Mammalian | Green | |
8405 | p240 pPr-CREM/Ins | CREM with insulators | probasin | Mammalian | Green | |
8406 | p252 pPr-CREM/CMV-STOP-luc | CREM and CMV-STOP-luc cassette | probasin | Mammalian | Green | |
8408 | p255 pPr-CREM/Ins/CMV-STOP-luc | CREM and CMV-STOP-luc cassette, separated by insulator | probasin | Mammalian | Green | |
11543 | pPGK-Cre-bpA | Cre | PGK | Mammalian | Rajewsky | |
11916 | pBS185 CMV-Cre | Cre | hCMV | Mammalian | Sauer | |
11918 | pBS513 EF1alpha-cre | Cre | EF-1 alpha | Mammalian | Sauer | |
11919 | pBS448 RSV-GFPcre | Cre-GFP fusion | Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) LTR/promoter | Mammalian | Sauer | |
11920 | pBS500 EF1alpha-GFPcre | Cre-GFP fusion | EF-1 alpha | Mammalian | Sauer | |
11923 | pBS598 EF1alpha-EGFPcre | Cre-EGFP fusion | EF-1 alpha | Mammalian | Sauer | |
11955 | pBS505 EF1alpha-EGFPcre* | Cre-EGFP fusion | EF-1 alpha | Mammalian | Sauer | |
11956 | pBS594 promoterless EGFPcre | Cre-EGFP fusion in a promoterless vector with several available restriction sites | none | Mammalian | Sauer | |
11957 | pBS595 tet-hCMV-EGFPcre | Cre-EGFP fusion | Tet inducible | Mammalian | Sauer | |
11958 | pBS532 promoterless GFPcre | promoterless CRE-GFP fusion | none | Mammalian | Sauer | |
11960 | pBS537 tet-hCMV-GFPcre | tet inducible Cre-GFP fusion | tet-hCMV | Mammalian | Sauer | |
11961 | pBS596 tet-hCMV-GFPcre | tet inducible Cre-GFP fusion, metallothionein MT-I region including the polyadenylation site and several introns | tet-hCMV | Mammalian | Sauer | |
12168 | pMB80 (R26-CreER) | Cre-ERT2 with loxp cassette; Targeting vector for Rosa26 locus | Mammalian | Jacks | ||
12238 | pLOX-CW-CRE | Cre | CMV | Lentiviral | Trono | |
12265 | pHR-CMV-nlsCRE | Cre | CMV | Lentiviral | Trono | |
12493 | p259 pCMV-CRE-M (BglII) | CREM | CMV | Mammalian | Green | |
12494 | p260 pCMV-CRE-M-AR(wt) | CREM fused to AR ligand binding domain | CMV | Mammalian | Green | |
12496 | p270 pCMV-CRE-M-AR(LNCaP) | CREM fused to mutant AR ligand binding domain | CMV | Mammalian | Green | |
12497 | p274 pCMV-CRE-M-AR(T) | CREM fused to mutant AR ligand binding domain | CMV | Mammalian | Green | |
12529 | pBS MCK CRE | Muscle-specific expression of Cre | MCK | Mammalian | Kahn | |
13763 | pTriEx-HTNC | Cre fused to HIV-TAT - promotes cellular uptake of recombinant Cre | Bacterial | Rajewsky | ||
13775 | pCAG-Cre | Cre-Myc | CAG | Mammalian | Cepko | |
13776 | pCAG-Cre:GFP | Cre-GFP fusion | CAG | Mammalian | Cepko | |
13777 | pCAG-ERT2CreERT2 | ERT2-Cre-ERT2-Tamoxifen inducible | CAG | Mammalian | Cepko | |
13779 | pRho-Cre | Cre-Myc | rhodopsin | Mammalian | Cepko | |
13780 | pNrl-Cre | Cre-Myc, Expressed in rod photorecetor cells in the retina | Nrl | Mammalian | Cepko | |
13962 | pBS mPrx1 Cre (CT#644) | Cre; expression in developing limb | mouse Prx1 | Bacterial | Tabin | |
14796 | pClusterin-ERT2CreERT2 | ERT2-Cre-ERT2 - Tamoxifen inducible. Expressed in Muller glia in the retina. | Clusterin | Mammalian | Cepko | |
14797 | pCAG-CreERT2 | Cre-ERT2 - Tamoxifen inducible | CAG | Mammalian | Cepko | |
15028 | Hsp68-CreER(TM) (DM#264) | CRE-ER(TM) - Tamoxifen inducible | Hsp68 | Mammalian | Melton | |
15508 | pBS-OMP-CreFNF | OMP targeting vector with Cre FNF (neo-selectable marker flanked by FRT sites) | Mammalian | Mombaerts | ||
15509 | pBS-M71-IRES-CreFNF | M71 targeting vector with IRES CreFNF (neo-selectable marker flanked by FRT sites) | Mammalian | Mombaerts | ||
17408 | Puro.Cre empty vector | Cre, Puro resistance and miRNA expression | PGK | Lentiviral | Jacks | |
17736 | pOG231 | NLS-Cre | CMV | Mammalian | Wahl | |
19131 | pIC-Cre | Cre | Bacterial | Rajewsky | ||
22776 | MSCV CreERT2 puro | Cre-ERT2 - Tamoxifen inducible | Retroviral | Jacks | ||
24064 | MSCV-Cre | Cre and EGFP coexpression | Retroviral | Littman | ||
24333 | ins-cre_cryaa-Venus | Cre-Venus fusion | insulin | Zebrafish | Stainier | |
24593 | AAV-pgk-Cre | codon optimized Cre | PGK | AAV | Aebischer | |
24704 | GFAP-Cre | Cre | GFAP | Mammalian | Sofroniew | |
25997 | LV-Cre pLKO.1 | Cre and shRNA coexpression | CMV | Lentiviral | Fuchs | |
26646 | pCAG-Cre-IRES2-GFP | Cre and GFP coexpression | CAG | Mammalian | Chenn | |
26647 | pCAG-Cre | Cre | CAG | Mammalian | Chenn | |
26745 | pDIRE | iCre and FlpO, required for dual RMCE | EF-1 alpha | Mammalian | Zeller | |
26850 | pBF3038 | Cre codon optimized for yeast | Gal1 | Yeast | Sandmeyer | |
26853 | pBF3060 | Cre codon optimized for yeast | Gal1 | Yeast | Sandmeyer | |
26888 | pmCherry-CRY2-CreN | CRY2-CreN and mCherry coexpression; Light inducible; Use with plasmid 26889. | Mammalian | Tucker | ||
26889 | pmCherry-CIBN-CreC | CIBN-CreC and mCherry coexpression; Light inducible; Use with plasmid 26888. | Mammalian | Tucker | ||
27321 | pENTR/D_creERt2 | Cre-ERT2 - Tamoxifen inducible; Gateway entry vector | none | Entry Vector | Zon | |
27493 | pBT140 | Cre | CMV | Mammalian | Luo | |
27546 | pLM-CMV-R-Cre | Cre and mCherry coexpression | CMV | Lentiviral | Sadelain | |
30205 | Cre-IRES-PuroR | Cre and PuroR coexpression | EF-1 alpha | Lentiviral | Kotton | |
30524 | pCSHSP:Cre | heat shock inducible Cre | Xenopus hsp70 | Xenopus | Ryffel | |
30525 | pBSHSP:Cre;CMV:tdTomato-SceI | Cre and tdTomato coexpression | Xenopus hsp70 | Xenopus | Ryffel | |
31132 | pCSCre | Cre | CMV | Xenopus | Ryffel | |
31309 | pCARCre | Cre | cardiac actin | Xenopus | Ryffel | |
32144 | pJFRC170-3XUAS-IVS-Cre::PEST | Cre expressed at low levels to reduce toxicity; See PI page for other recombinases that are less toxic in Drosophila | hsp70 | Insect | Rubin | |
32606 | Ttr:Cre | Cre expressed in visceral endoderm | MCK | Mammalian | Hadjantonakis | |
33340 | LGmCreER (self deleting) | Cre-ERT2 - Tamoxifen inducible | PGK | Retroviral | Lowe | |
33342 | LGmCreER (non-self deleting) | Cre-ERT2 | PGK | Retroviral | Lowe | |
33344 | pLEW100cre-EP1-6G | Cre | T. brucei | Cross | ||
33345 | pLEW100cre-EP1 | Cre | Trypanosoma brucei | Cross | ||
34564 | pMSCVpuro-Cre | Cre | 5'LTR | Retroviral | Ge | |
34565 | pMSCVhygro-Cre | Cre and HygroR coexpression | Retroviral | Ge | ||
34568 | WZLneo-Cre | Cre | 5'LTR | Retroviral | Ge | |
35619 | pTAT-CRE | Cre fused to HIV-TAT | Bacterial | Dowdy | ||
36915 | pJJH1320 | Cre | Bacterial | Heinisch | ||
37404 | Cre Shine | Cre::2A::targeted FP construct | CMV | Mammalian | Hughes | |
40591 | hGFAP-Cre | mouse astrocyte expression of Cre | hGFAP | Mammalian | Messing | |
45359 | pNK-TGCK | Cre-EGFP fusion; Tet inducible - rrTA expression driven by mouse Nkx cardiac enhancer and promoter fragment | minimal TetO-CMV | Mammalian | Wu | |
45863 | pCM157 | Cre | lac | Bacterial | Lidstrom | |
46388 | pFosCreER | Cre-ERT2;Targeting vector for Fos locus | Mammalian | Luo | ||
46389 | pArcCreER | Cre-ERT2;Targeting vector for Arc locus | Mammalian | Luo | ||
47117 | pT3TS-Cre | for in vitro transcription of Cre | lac | Bacterial | Ekker | |
47551 | pDD104 (Peft-3::Cre) | Cre | eft-3 | C. elegans | Goldstein | |
48201 | CAG-GFP-IRES-CRE | Cre and GFP coexpression | CAG | Retroviral | Gage | |
49054 | CAG-GFP/cre | Cre-GFP fusion | CAG | Retroviral | Gage | |
49056 | AAV-GFP/Cre | Cre-GFP fusion | CMV | AAV | Gage | |
49111 | pEMS1980 | iCre with MCS for inserting promoter | none | AAV | Simpson | |
49455 | pSH62-EBD | Cre-EBD - Estradiol-dependent control | Gal1 | Yeast | Gartenberg | |
50797 | pUAS-Cre | Cre | UAS/Hsp70 | Mammalian | Cepko | |
50935 | MSCV-PIG-Cre | Cre and GFP coexpression | PGK | Retroviral | Pandolfi | |
51263 | hGFAP-Roxed-Cre | Dre-dependent Roxed-Cre | GFAP | Mammalian | Pelczar | |
51267 | pCAG-Co-InCreN | N-terminal component of the Co-InCre system | CAG | Mammalian | Pelczar | |
51268 | pCAG-Co-InCreC | C-terminal component of the Co-InCre system | CAG | Mammalian | Pelczar | |
51273 | pCAG-Roxed-Cre | Dre-respondent Cre | CAG | Mammalian | Pelczar | |
51276 | Thy1.2-Roxed-Cre | Dre-respondent Cre | Thy1 | Mammalian | Pelczar | |
51507 | AAV pmSyn1-EBFP-Cre | Cre-EBFP fusion; Expression in neurons. | synapsin | AAV | Zeng | |
51904 | paavCAG-iCre | iCre | CAG | AAV | Kim | |
55632 | pAAV-Ef1a-mCherry-IRES-Cre | Cre and mCherry coexpression | EF-1 alpha | AAV | Deisseroth | |
55635 | pAAV-EF1a-sCre | SCre | EF-1 alpha | AAV | Deisseroth | |
55636 | pAAV-EF1a-Cre | Cre | EF-1 alpha | AAV | Deisseroth | |
55638 | pAAV-EF1a-vCre | VCre | EF-1 alpha | AAV | Deisseroth | |
59701 | pRetroQ-Cre-ERT2 | Cre-ERT2 -Tamoxifen inducible | cmvIE | Retroviral | Youle | |
59720 | Nanog-CreER targeting construct | Cre-ERT2; Targeting vector for Nanog locus | mNanog | Mammalian | Hanna | |
60226 | AAV:ITR-U6-sgRNA(backbone)-pEFS-Rluc-2A-Cre-WPRE-hGHpA-ITR | Cre, luciferase, and sgRNA expression | EFS | AAV | Zhang | |
60229 | AAV:ITR-U6-sgRNA(backbone)-pCBh-Cre-WPRE-hGHpA-ITR | Cre and sgRNA coexpression | Cbh | AAV | Zhang | |
60231 | AAV:ITR-U6-sgRNA(backbone)-hSyn-Cre-2A-EGFP-KASH-WPRE-shortPA-ITR | Cre, KASH-tagged EGFP, and sgRNA expression | hSyn | AAV | Zhang | |
60820 | pSECC | Cre, Cas9 and sgRNA expression | EF-1 alpha | Lentiviral | Jacks | |
60877 | pMAZe | Cre and dtomato | hsp70 | Zebrafish | Lewis | |
60930 | pPL5071_TEF1*-Cre_URA3 | Cre expressed at low levels | mutant TEF2 | Yeast | Piper | |
60931 | pPL5608_TEF1*-Cre_TRP1 | Cre expressed at low levels | mutant TEF1 | Yeast | Piper | |
60932 | pPL5606_TEF1*-Cre_ADE2 | Cre expressed at low levels | mutant TEF1 | Yeast | Piper | |
60933 | pPL5628_TEF1*-Cre_MET15 | Cre expressed at low levels | mutant TEF3 | Yeast | Piper | |
61391 | pCS2-Cre.zf1 | Cre codon modified for zebrafish | CMV | Zebrafish | Burgess | |
61570 | Pvalb-2A-Cre targeting vector | Cre; Targeting vector for Pvalb locus | Mammalian | Zeng | ||
61573 | Rasgrf2-2A-dCre targeting vector | DHFR-destabilized Cre; targeting vector for Rasgrf2 | Mammalian | Zeng | ||
61574 | Slc17a7-IRES2-Cre targeting vector | Cre; Targeting vector for Slc17a7 locus | Mammalian | Zeng | ||
62219 | Nxph4-2A-CreERT2 Targeting Vector | Cre-ERT2 - Tamoxifen inducible; Targeting vector | Mouse Nxph4 | Mammalian | Zeng | |
62372 | pET-(-30)GFP-9xGGS-Cre-6xHis | Cre fused to supernegatively charged GFP variant | T7 | Bacterial | Liu | |
62657 | pAYC | iCre | CAG | Mammalian | Ohtsuka | |
62730 | CRE recombinase | Cre | T7 | Bacterial | Geijsen | |
62938 | pET-(pos36)GFP-9xGGS-Cre-6xHis | Cre fused to highly cationic GFP variant | T7 | Bacterial | Liu | |
62939 | pET-Cre-6xHis | Cre-6xHis | T7 | Bacterial | Liu | |
63704 | pRetroX GFP T2A Cre | GFP and Cre | tight TRE | Retroviral | Foijer | |
64769 | pTW040 | Cre fused to the human Estrogen Binding Domain (EBD) | TDH3 | Yeast | van Leeuwen | |
64770 | pSS146 | Cre fused to the human Estrogen Binding Domain (EBD) | Tdh4 | Yeast | van Leeuwen | |
65727 | pcDNA3.1-CMV-CFP;UBC-Cre25nt | Cre with a 25 nucleotide extracellular vesicle targeting sequence and CFP | UBC | Mammalian | van Rheenen | |
65795 | pBBI | iCre | CMV | Mammalian | Ohtsuka | |
66690 | Fuc-T2A-cre | mCherry and Cre | Lentiviral | Luikart | ||
66691 | FUG-T2A-cre | GFP and Cre | Lentiviral | Luikart | ||
66692 | pRubiC-T2A-cre | mCherry and Cre expression in newborn neurons | Retroviral | Luikart | ||
66693 | pRubiG-T2A-cre | GFP and Cre expression in newborn neurons | Retroviral | Luikart | ||
67503 | pF CAG luc-EGFP-cre puro | Luciferase - EGFP- Cre fusion | CAG | Mammalian | Stringer | |
68448 | TOPO rtTA3-2A-Cre | iRFP670, Cre, and GFP | EFS | Lentiviral | Jacks | |
68468 | Cas9-2A-Cre | Cas9 and Cre | CAG | Mammalian | Zhang | |
68477 | pTRE:iRFP670-EFS:Cre-2A-GFP | iRFP670, Cre, and GFP | TRE | Mammalian | Jacks | |
68544 | AAV-Cre-GFP | Cre | CMV | AAV | Nestler | |
68552 | HRE:GFP-pGK:Cre | Cre and hypoxia-responsive GFP reporter | HRE | Lentiviral | Jacks | |
69570 | pAAV-EF1a-N-CretrcintG | Cre recombinase dependent on GFP (CRE-DOG) | EF-1 alpha | AAV | Cepko | |
69571 | pAAV-EF1a-C-CreintG | Cre recombinase dependent on GFP (CRE-DOG) | EF-1 alpha | AAV | Cepko | |
69572 | pCAG-N-CretrcintG | Cre recombinase dependent on GFP (CRE-DOG) | CAG | Mammalian | Cepko | |
69573 | pCAG-C-CreintG | Cre recombinase dependent on GFP (CRE-DOG) | CAG | Mammalian | Cepko | |
69916 | pAAV.cTNT.iCre | iCre and tdtomato | Chicken cardiac troponin T | AAV | Pu | |
70120 | pEMS2159 | iCre with MCS for inserting promoter, WPRE | none | AAV | Simpson | |
72255 | pCDH-CB-iCre-P2A-tdTomato-T2A-Puro | iCre and tdtomato | CB | Mammalian | Oka | |
72256 | pCDH-CB-copGFP-T2A-iCre | copGFP and iCre | CB | Lentiviral | Oka | |
72257 | pCDH-CB-iCre | iCre | CB | Lentiviral | Oka | |
73350 | pAdx-CMV-iCre-P2A-copGFP | iCre and GFP | CMV | Adenoviral | Oka | |
73351 | pAdx-CMV-iCre-P2A-tdTomato | iCre and tdTomato | CMV | Adenoviral | Oka | |
73472 | RabV CVS-N2c(deltaG)-mCherry-P2A-Cre | Cre | CMV | RABV | Jessell | |
73474 | RabV CVS-N2c(deltaG)-Cre | Cre | CMV | RABV | Jessell | |
73717 | pMLS328 | Cre | eft-3 | C. elegans | Jorgensen | |
75267 | pAAV-CIBN-CreC | photo-activatable cre recombinase | CAG | AAV | Bruchas | |
75268 | pAAV-CRY2-CreN | photo-activatable cre recombinase | CAG | AAV | Bruchas | |
78398 | pNXRVa-HACre | Cre | CMV | Yeast | Tomita | |
82587 | pME-ERT2-Cre-ERT2 | Tamoxifen-inducible Cre | None | Zebrafish | Stankunas | |
82696 | pCRE-iRFP670 | Cre and iRFP670 | PGK | Mammalian | Mullen | |
84032 | pHD066 | mCherry-Cre fusion and Venus | Elastase | Zebrafish | Stainier | |
84033 | pHD157 | mCherry-Cre fusion and Venus | fabp10 | Zebrafish | Stainier | |
85040 | pK170.AAV-TRE-Cre-WPRE (Supernova) | TRE-Cre based Supernova | TRE | AAV | Iwasato | |
85577 | pTC-CMV-Tet | CreER expression and tetracyclin-dependent transgene/shRNA expression | ApoE.HCR.hAAT | Mammalian | Ehmer | |
85578 | pTC-ApoE-Tet | CreER expression and tetracyclin-dependent transgene/shRNA expression | ApoE.HCR.hAAT | Mammalian | Ehmer | |
85797 | pSkipFlox | split Cre | Pfcrt | P. falxiparum | Spielmann | |
86641 | pLenti-hSynapsin-Cre-WPRE | Cre | hSyn | Lentiviral | Wang | |
86794 | pCL20c-MSCV-IRES-CRE | Cre | MSCV | Mammalian | Roussel | |
86805 | pLV-EGFP-Cre | EGFP-Cre fusion | CMV | Lentiviral | Lasek | |
87682 | AAV-U6gRNA1-U6gRNA2-TnT-Cre | Cre and gRNAs | cTnT | AAV | Pu | |
87694 | pCAG-ERT2-PhoCl-Cre-PhoCl-ERT2 | light-activated Cre | cTnT | Mammalian | Campbell | |
89573 | pCAG-iCre | iCre | CAG | Mammalian | Wong | |
89575 | pCAG-VCre | VCre | CAG | Mammalian | Wong | |
91789 | pRRlsinPGK_CREGFP_WPRE | Cre-GFP fusion | PGK | Lentiviral | Torok-Storb | |
99249 | pVAX1/mTyr-Cre | Cre | Tyrosinase | Mammalian | Blank | |
101242 | pSin wPGK-Cre | low-efficiency Cre | PGK | Mammalian | Nedivi | |
102989 | pCAG-Cre-T2A-mRuby2 | Cre and mRuby2 | CAG | Mammalian | Scharffetter-Kochanek | |
104124 | LZF40: hSyn-Cre | Cre | hSyn | Lentiviral | Cohen | |
105537 | pENN.AAV.CMVs.Pl.Cre.rBG | Cre | CMV | AAV | Wilson | |
105540 | pENN.AAV.hSyn.HI.eGFP-Cre.WPRE.SV40 | EGFP-Cre fusion | hSyn | AAV | Wilson | |
105545 | pAAV.CMV.HI.eGFP-Cre.WPRE.SV40 | EGFP-Cre fusion | CMV | AAV | Wilson | |
105550 | pAAV.GFAP.Cre.WPRE.hGH | Cre | GFAP | AAV | Wilson | |
105551 | pENN.AAV.CamKII.HI.GFP-Cre.WPRE.SV40 | GFP-Cre fusion | CamKII | AAV | Wilson | |
105553 | pENN.AAV.hSyn.Cre.WPRE.hGH | Cre | hSyn | AAV | Wilson | |
105555 | pENN.AAV.hSyn.Cre.hGH | Cre | hSyn | AAV | Wilson | |
105558 | pENN.AAV.CamKII 0.4.Cre.SV40 | Cre | CamKII | AAV | Wilson | |
105603 | pAAV.GfaABC1D.PI.Cre.SV40 | Cre | GfaABC1D | AAV | Khakh | |
105869 | pEMS1925 | iCre-ERT2 | Simpson | |||
105870 | pEMS1725 | iCre-ERT2 | Simpson | |||
106368 | pCMV-Tag2B-NCre | N-terminal split-Cre | CMV | Mammalian | Hirrlinger | |
106369 | pCMV-Tag3B-CCre | C-terminal split-Cre | CMV | Mammalian | Hirrlinger | |
106370 | pCMV-Tag2B-NCreERT2 | N-terminal split-Cre-ERT2 | CMV | Mammalian | Hirrlinger | |
106371 | pCMV-Tag3B-ERT2CCre | C-terminal split-Cre-ERT2 | CMV | Mammalian | Hirrlinger | |
107312 | AAV-hSyn-mCherry-P2A-Cre-WPRE | mCherry and Cre; expressed in neurons | hSyn | AAV | Yang | |
107313 | AAV-aCamkII-mCherry-P2A-Cre-WPRE-BGH-polyA | mCherry and Cre; expressed in excitatory neurons | aCamKII | AAV | Yang | |
107738 | pAAV-hSyn-Cre-P2A-dTomato | Cre and dTomato | hSyn | AAV | Larsen | |
107787 | AAV.TBG.PI.Cre.rBG | Cre | TBG | AAV | Wilson | |
107788 | AAV.rTH.PI.Cre.SV40 | Cre | rTH | AAV | Wilson | |
108454 | mCherry-p2A-CreERT2-FRT-kan-FRT | For in vitro transcription of Cre or to recombine into BAC | SP6 | Bacterial | Mercader Huber | |
108543 | pLV-EF1-Cre-PGK-Puro | Cre | EF-1 alpha | Lentiviral | Alcudia | |
108639 | fli1aCreERT2 | Cre-ERT2; endothelial reporter | fli1a | Zebrafish | Mercader Huber | |
108995 | pDM1488 | Cre; NeoR | act15 | D. discoideum | Kay | |
108996 | pDM1489 | Cre; HygroR | act15 | D. discoideum | Kay | |
109378 | LZF40: LZF40_Fsyn_Cre | Cre | hSyn | Lentiviral | Cohen | |
111150 | Prrx1:TFPnls-T2a-Cre-Ert | TFP and Cre-ERT2 - Tamoxifen inducible. Expressed in limb connective tissue | mouse Prrx1 | Vertebrate | Tanaka | |
111151 | Col1A2:TFPnls-T2a-mErt-Cre-Ert | TFP and Cre-ERT2 - Tamoxifen inducible. Expressed in fibroblasts | mouse Col1A2 | Vertebrate | Tanaka | |
111152 | Col2a1:TFPnls-mErt-Cre-Ert | TFP and Cre-ERT2 - Tamoxifen inducible. Expressed in chondrocytes | Xenopus Col2a1 | Vertebrate | Tanaka | |
111153 | pGEMT-Pax7bait-P2a-GAP43-Cherry-T2a-mERt-Cre-Ert | mCherry and Cre-ERT2 - Tamoxifen inducible; Targeting vector for Pax7 | Tanaka | |||
111187 | pBADZ-HisCre | Cre; arabinose inducible. | PBAD promoter | Bacterial | Richmond | |
112614 | pVHC | Venus and Cre-ERT2 with MCS for inserting promoter | none | Mammalian | Heller | |
112615 | pEHC | Emerald and Cre-ERT2 with MCS for inserting promoter | none | Mammalian | Heller | |
112616 | pmTHC | TFP and Cre-ERT2 with MCS for inserting promoter | none | Mammalian | Heller | |
112617 | ptdTHC | tdTomato and Cre-ERT2 with MCS for inserting promoter | none | Mammalian | Heller | |
112618 | pCAG-VHC | Venus, Cre-ERT2 | CAG | Mammalian | Heller | |
112619 | pCAG-EHC | Emerald, Cre-ERT2 | CAG | Mammalian | Heller | |
112620 | pCAG-mTHC | TFP, Cre-ERT2 | CAG | Mammalian | Heller | |
112621 | pCAG-tdTHC | tdTomato, Cre-ERT2 | CAG | Mammalian | Heller | |
112622 | pVHC_PGKneoLox2DTA.2 | Venus, Cre-ERT2, targeting vector with MCS for homology arms | Mammalian | Heller | ||
112623 | pEHC_PGKneoLox2DTA.2 | Emerald, Cre-ERT2, targeting vector with MCS for homology arms | Mammalian | Heller | ||
112624 | pmTHC_PGKneoLox2DTA.2 | TFP, Cre-ERT2, targeting vector with MCS for homology arms | Mammalian | Heller | ||
112625 | ptdTHC_PGKneoLox2DTA.2 | tdTomato, Cre-ERT2, targeting vector with MCS for homology arms | Mammalian | Heller | ||
113837 | pCAGGS-mTagBFP2-T2A-iCre | TagBFP, iCre | CAG | Mammalian | Capecchi | |
113849 | pCAGGS-pac-T2A-iCre | iCre | CAG | Mammalian | Capecchi | |
116879 | CAG-Cremyc-2A-GFP | GFP and Cre | CAG | Mammalian | Lu | |
117148 | Hiv7CMV-Cremyc-2A-GFP | GFP and Cre | CMV | Lentiviral | Lu | |
118029 | pAAV-TRE-dDIO-vCre | VCre | TRE | AAV | Luo | |
119063 | pBac(3xP3-gTc’v; Tc-hsp68:Cre) | Cre | Tribolium casteneum hsp68 | T. castaneum (red flour beetle) | Averof | |
119868 | pGEM-NLS-Cre-2A-mCherry-FKF | NLS-Cre, mCherry | T7 | Bacterial | Sauka-Spengler | |
119971 | GAG-CRErec | GAG-Cre fusion; for the production of VLPs loaded with CRE protein | CMV | Mammalian | Ohlmann | |
120279 | 014LP-pAAV-ANF-657- Cre-pA | Cre; for atrial-specific expression | ANF | AAV | Wehrens | |
121675 | pAAV-EF1a-fDIO-Cre | Cre | EF-1 alpha | AAV | Engel | |
122518 | pAAV-Syn-iCre | iCre | AAV | Ritola | ||
122960 | pcDNA3.1_PA-Cre | photo-activatable Cre recombinase | CMV | Mammalian | Sato | |
122961 | pcDNA3.1_PA-Cre-Y324F | Catalytically inactive PA-Cre | CMV | Mammalian | Sato | |
123128 | pET-His-Cre | 6xHis-Cre | T7 | Bacterial | Liu | |
123131 | pET-His-VCre | 6xHis-VCre | T7 | Bacterial | Liu | |
123133 | pCMV-Cre | Cre | CMV | Mammalian | Liu | |
124183 | KA1153_pPBCAG-MerCreMer-IN | Cre-ERT2 - Tamoxifen inducible | CAG | Mammalian | Scholer | |
124184 | KA1158_pPBCAG-MerCreMer-IZ | Cre-ERT2 - Tamoxifen inducible | CAG | Mammalian | Scholer | |
125574 | pCAG-Cre | Cre | CAG | Mammalian | Imai | |
125577 | pCAG-iCre | iCre | CAG | Mammalian | Imai | |
125748 | pCAG-sfGFP-GSAx9-iCre-ERT2 | iCre-ERT2 - Tamoxifen inducible | CAG | Mammalian | Capecchi | |
125749 | pCAG-sfGFP-iCre-ERT2 | iCre-ERT2 - Tamoxifen inducible | CAG | Mammalian | Capecchi | |
125821 | pCAGGS-pac-T2A-iCre (v2) | iCre and PuroR | CAG | Mammalian | Capecchi | |
125822 | pCAGGS-mTagBFP2-T2A-iCre (v2) | TagBFP, iCre | CAG | Mammalian | Capecchi | |
126006 | pAAV2-ProC3-Cre/mCherry | Cre and mCherry | ProC3 | AAV | Roska | |
126700 | pHAGE2-EF1aL-Cre-IRES-NeoR-W | Cre | EF-1 alpha | Lentiviral | Kotton | |
128166 | pCAGGS-mTagBFP2-T2A-sfGFP-iCre-ERT2 | sfGFP-iCre-ERT2 (PAPGSTM N-terminus, unskippable linker) - Tamoxifen inducible | CAG | Mammalian | Capecchi | |
128167 | pCAGGS-mTagBFP2-T2A-sfGFP-GSAx9-iCre-ERT2 | sfGFP-iCre-ERT2 (PAPGSTM N-terminus, GSAx9 linker) - Tamoxifen inducible | CAG | Mammalian | Capecchi | |
128168 | pCAGGS-mTagBFP2-T2A-iCre-ERT2 | iCre-ERT2 (PAPGSTMA N-terminus) - Tamoxifen inducible | CAG | Mammalian | Capecchi | |
128171 | pCAGGS-mTagBFP2-T2A-iCreERT2 (PV) | iCre-ERT2 (PV N-terminus) - Tamoxifen inducible | CAG | Mammalian | Capecchi | |
128172 | pCAGGS-mTagBFP2-T2A-iCreERT2 (PVV) | iCre-ERT2 (PVV N-terminus) - Tamoxifen inducible | CAG | Mammalian | Capecchi | |
128173 | pCAGGS-mTagBFP2-T2A-iCreERT2 (PVGSA) | iCre-ERT2 (PVGSA N-terminus) - Tamoxifen inducible | CAG | Mammalian | Capecchi | |
128174 | pCAGGS-mTagBFP2-T2A-iCreERT2 (PA) | iCre-ERT2 (PA N-terminus) - Tamoxifen inducible | CAG | Mammalian | Capecchi | |
129419 | pCag FlpO-2A-Cre EV | FlpO-2A-Cre | CAG | Mammalian | Breunig | |
130986 | pCag SE (Self-excising) FlpO-2A-Cre EV | Self-excising FlpO-2A-Cre | CAG | Mammalian | Breunig | |
131780 | pCS2+PIF6CreN | CreLite - Red light-inducible Cre; N terminus Cre fused to PIF6 | CMV | Mammalian, Zebrafish | Eisenhoffer | |
131781 | pCS2+PhyBΔCreC | CreLite - Red light-inducible Cre; C terminus Cre fused to PhyBdelta | CMV | Mammalian, Zebrafish | Eisenhoffer | |
131782 | pME-CreLite | CreLite system components, PhyBdeltaCreC and PIF6CreN, in middle entry vector (Tol2 kit) | Zebrafish | Eisenhoffer | ||
131783 | pTol2-CreLite | CreLite; Tol2 destination vector with mTagBFP2 | Zebrafish | Eisenhoffer | ||
131785 | pAAV-CreLite | CreLite system components, PhyBdeltaCreC and PIF6CreN, in AAV donor/transfer vector | Cbh | AAV | Eisenhoffer | |
131786 | pLenti-CreLite | CreLite system components, PhyBdeltaCreC and PIF6CreN, in lentiviral vector | Cbh | Lentiviral | Eisenhoffer | |
132551 | AAV-U6-gRNA-TnT-Cre | Cre | Chicken cardiac troponin T | AAV | Pu | |
134308 | pCAG-Synaptophysin-TdTomato-IRES2-OHT-Cre | Cre-ERT2 - Tamoxifen inducible | CMV | Mammalian | Nedivi | |
134404 | pBbE5a-Opto-Cre-Vvd | Cre recombinase split with Vivid photodimers | lacUV5 | Bacterial | Dunlop | |
135217 | pDEST mfap4:icre-p2a-tomato | iCre and tdTomato | mfap4 | Zebrafish | Tobin | |
135618 | pAAV-Sox2-CreERT2 | Cre-ERT2 - Tamoxifen inducible; AAV donor vector | AAV | He | ||
135659 | pQcre1 | Cre | PpagA from B. anthracis | Bacterial | Tolonen | |
137051 | pGL2399 | DiCre | Leishmania | Mottram | ||
137859 | pCAGGS-mTagBFP2-T2A-iCreERT2 (PAA) | iCre-ERT2 (PAA N-terminus) - Tamoxifen inducible | CAG | Mammalian | Capecchi | |
137860 | pCAGGS-mTagBFP2-T2A-iCreERT2 (PAAA) | iCre-ERT2 (PAAA N-terminus) - Tamoxifen inducible | CAG | Mammalian | Capecchi | |
137861 | pCAGGS-mTagBFP2-T2A-iCreERT2 (PAAAA) | iCre-ERT2 (PAAAA N-terminus) - Tamoxifen inducible | CAG | Mammalian | Capecchi | |
137862 | pCAGGS-mTagBFP2-T2A-iCreERT2 (PAGSA) | iCre-ERT2 (PAGSA N-terminus) - Tamoxifen inducible | CAG | Mammalian | Capecchi | |
137863 | pCAGGS-mTagBFP2-T2A-iCreERT2 (PAAGSA) | iCre-ERT2 (PAAGSA N-terminus) - Tamoxifen inducible | CAG | Mammalian | Capecchi | |
137864 | pCAGGS-mTagBFP2-T2A-iCreERT2 (PAGSAS) | iCre-ERT2 (PAGSAS N-terminus) - Tamoxifen inducible | CAG | Mammalian | Capecchi | |
139545 | pENTR-Cre | Cre with stop codon | Entry vector | Ko | ||
139546 | pENTR-CreStopDeleted | Cre without stop codon | Entry vector | Ko | ||
139547 | pENTR-CreERT2 | Cre-ERT2 with stop codon | Entry vector | Ko | ||
139670 | pTFUbiCre | Cre | Maize Ubiquitin | Plant | Birchler | |
140131 | pAAV-EF1a-NCreV | N-terminal Cre component split with Vivid photodimers | EF-1 alpha | AAV | Zeng | |
140132 | pAAV-EF1a-CCreV | C-terminal Cre component split with Vivid photodimers | EF-1 alpha | AAV | Zeng | |
140135 | pAAV-EF1a-iCreV | Split Cre fused to nuclear localized wild-type VVD | EF-1 alpha | AAV | Zeng | |
140284 | pCAG-Cre-iBSD | Cre | CAG | Mammalian | Miyanari | |
140760 | Sox1(2A-Cre) | Cre; Targeting vector for Sox1 locus | CAG | Mammalian | Okano | |
153207 | pAM-AAV-mSncg-Cre | Retinal ganglion cell-specific expression of Cre | Mouse Sncg | AAV | Hu | |
154018 | LiOn-CMV∞Cre | leak-proof iOn (LiOn) Cre switch | CMV | Mammalian | Livet |
loxP (floxed) Constructs
These constructs allow for Cre-regulated gene expression. Depending on the construct, Cre may activate or repress gene expression. Common construct types include:
- Cre-dependent Gene Expression: Placing a stop codon with loxP sites on either side (often called a “lox-stop-lox” or “LSL” cassette) upstream of a gene of interest will prevent gene expression in the absence of Cre. In the presence of Cre, the stop codon is excised, and gene expression proceeds.
- Cre-dependent Gene Knockout: Conversely, putting the loxP sites on either side of a gene (called “floxing”, for “flanked by loxP”), will permit gene expression until Cre is present, at which time the gene will be disrupted or deleted.
- Cre-dependent shRNA Expression: Cre-lox can be used to turn shRNA constructs on or off. In floxed-shRNA constructs, Cre can excise the shRNA to return gene expression to physiological levels. In lox-STOP-lox shRNA constructs, Cre expression promotes shRNA expression.
- Gene Switch: These constructs contain two genes of interest, Genes A and B. When Cre is absent, only Gene A is translated correctly. Cre expression excises Gene A and alters the reading frame to allow in-frame translation of Gene B.
- FLEx Switch∗: This system allows scientists to utilize recombination elements such as Cre to turn off the expression of one gene while simultaneously turning on another. The FLEx switch system takes advantage of the orientation specificity of Cre and the different types of target sites available, both mutant and wild type. The ability to manipulate the number, orientation, and type of target sites that flox your genes of interest makes FLEx switch a powerful experimental tool. For more information on FLEx switch and what you can do with it read Addgene's Blog on FLEx Vectors.
∗Note: Through a partnership with genOway, Addgene is able to distribute materials containing FLEx technology. Read the genOway press release for more information.
Empty backbones to regulate your gene of interest:
ID | Plasmid | Description | Expression System | PI | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
11578 | pSico | Cre activates shRNA expression, removal of EGFP; See also similar plasmids pSico PGK GFP and pSico PGK puro | Lentiviral | Jacks | |
11579 | pSicoR | Cre turns off shRNA expression, removal of EGFP; See also similar plasmids pSicoR PGK puro, pSicoR-Ef1a-mCh-Puro, pSicoR-Ef1a-mCh and pSicoR-mCh-empty | Lentiviral | Jacks | |
11584 | Lox-Stop-Lox TOPO | Cre activates gene of interest by removing Stop sequences; Puro selection. See plasmid 35688 for Hygro selection. | Mammalian | Jacks | |
11925 | pBS302 | Cre activates gene of interest by removing Stop sequences. Can be used for injection into fertilized zygotes | Mammalian | Sauer | |
21270 | pBigT | Cre activates gene of interest by removing neoR and stop sequence; used for making transgenic mice. Plasmid 15037 also contains IRES-EGFP | Mammalian | Costantini | |
32702 | pMSCV-loxp-dsRed-loxp-eGFP-Puro-WPRE | Cre activates your gene fused to eGFP, removes dsRed. See article for other similar plasmids. | Retroviral | Clevers | |
15912 | CTV | Cre activates gene of interest, removes Neo and stop cassette; Contains flanking arms for Rosa26 integration; See similar plasmid 11739 | Mouse Targeting | Rajewsky | |
11072 | p079 pPNT6 | Cre activates gene of interest, removes Neo cassette. Used in gene targeting. | Mouse Targeting | Shivdasani | |
18925 | pJ241-FLEX | FLEX switch empty backbone | Sternson | ||
38042 | pAAV-CA-FLEX | Cre activates gene of interest, using 4 mutated lox sites | AAV | Uchida |
Cre Reporters and Tools
In this subtype of loxP plasmids, reporter genes indicate which cells have undergone Cre recombination. These plasmids can be useful for lineage tracing, evaluating infection/transfection efficiency, selecting desired clones, and making transgenic mice.
ID | Plasmid/Article | Description | Expression System | PI | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
See article | Brainbow constructs | Cre-loxP recombination is used to create a stochastic choice of expression among fluorescent proteins, resulting in the indelible marking of mouse neurons with multiple distinct colors | Mammalian | Sanes | |
See article | Multibow constructs | Multibow uses a binary code in which reporters are initially OFF and then probabilistically ON or OFF following Cre recombination to maximize label diversity | Mammalian | Megason | |
13769 | pCALNL-DsRed | Cre dependent DsRed expression | Mammalian | Cepko | |
13770 | pCALNL-GFP | Cre dependent GFP expression | Mammalian | Cepko | |
8389 | p212 pCMV-EGFP/RFP | EGFP-dsRed gene switch plasmid | Mammalian | Green | |
22799 | Ai9 | Rosa26 targeting vector, Cre dependent tdtomato expression. See article for more colors. | Mammalian | Zeng | |
24334 | hsp70l-loxP-mCherry-STOP-loxP-H2B-GFP_cryaa-cerulean | Heat-inducible reporter with Cre dependent H2B-RFP expression | Zebrafish | Stainier | |
51269 | pCAG-loxPSTOPloxP-ZsGreen | Cre dependent ZsGreen expression | Mammalian | Pelczar | |
62732 | Cre Reporter | DsRED and EGFP Cre recombinase reporter | Lentiviral | Geijsen | |
65726 | pLV-CMV-LoxP-DsRed-LoxP-eGFP | Switches from DsRed to eGFP expression upon the presence of Cre | Lentiviral | van Rheenen | |
28304 | pAAV-FLEX-GFP | Cre dependent GFP expression | AAV | Boyden | |
37402 | Cre Stoplight 2.4 | Zsgreen is expressed in cells without Cre, mCherry is expressed with Cre | Mammalian | Hughes | |
16422 | betaRBPIG | Double fluorescent, double selectable cre/loxP reporter | Mammalian | Hescheler | |
12463 | p231 pCMVe-betaAc-STOP-luc | Cre dependent luciferase expression | Mammalian | Green | |
32145 | pJFRC172-10XUAS-loxP>-dSTOP-loxP>-myr::GFP | Cre dependent myr-GFP expression | Insect | Rubin | |
51503 | AAV pCAG-FLEX-tdTomato-WPRE | Cre dependent TdTomato expression | AAV | Zeng | |
60877 | pMAZe | Reporter construct for lineage tracing and mosaic analysis in zebrafish | Zebrafish | Lewis |
Additional Resources
- Cre-dependent Cas9: Cre-dependent Cas9 can be knocked in to a mouse at the Rosa26 locus to facilitate Cas9 mediated genome editing in multiple tissues.
- FLP/FRT: Alternative recombinase system for the control of gene expression. Flp recombinase recognizes FRT sites. Flp binding to these sites can result in excision, inversion or translocation depending on the orientation of the FRT sites.
- Addgene Blog Advanced Uses of Cre-lox and Flp-FRT - A Neuroscientist’s View
References
- Lakso M, Sauer B, Mulder KL, Westphal H. 1992. Targeted Oncogene Activation by Site-Specific Recombination in Transgenic Mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci. Jul 15;89(14):6232-6. PubMed.
- Matsuda T, Cepko CL. 2007. Controlled Expression of Transgenes Introduced by In Vivo Electroporation. Proc Natl Acad Sci. Jan 16;104(3):1027-32. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0610155104. Epub 2007 Jan 5. PubMed.
- Sauer B, Henderson N. 1988. Site-Specific DNA Recombination in Mammalian Cells by the Cre Recombinase of Bacteriophage P1. Proc Natl Acad Sci. Jul;85(14):5166-70. PubMed.
- Sternberg N, Hamilton D. 1981. Bacteriophage P1 Site-Specific Recombination. I. Recombination Between loxP Sites. J Mol Biol. Aug 25;1504(4):467-86. doi:10.1016/0022-2836(81)90375-2. PubMed.
- Ventura A, Meissner A, Jaenisch R, Jacks T. 2004. Cre-lox-Regulated Conditional RNA Interference from Transgenes. Proc Natl Acad Sci. Jul 13;101(28):10380-5. doi:10.1073/pnas.0403954101. Epub 2004 Jul 6. PubMed.
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