1. Research Techniques Made Simple: Lineage Tracing Mediated by Cre-Recombinase Activity
Susanne Vorhagen, Joanna Jackow, Simona Georgina Mohor; Giel Tanghe; Luna Tanrikulu, Claudia Skazik-Vogt; Frederik Tellkamp

2. Lineage Tracing…
… allows us to follow cell fate decisions of stem/ progenitor cell
populations and their descendants within a living organism.
… is based on the visualization of the cell lineage via a time and
spatially controlled reporter gene expression in stem/progenitor
cells that is passed onto their cell progeny.
… enables us to study the dynamic of proliferation,
differentiation, and migration of these cells in an in vivo context
during development, homeostasis, and disease.

3. Cre-Recombinase-Mediated Reporter Gene Expression
A cell population specific promoter can be used to control Cre-recombinase expression in the cell population of interest
Upon Cre-recombinase expression, the stop codon is excised and leads to reporter gene expression
Reporter genes:
fluorescent proteins or lacZ
 tracing of the cell progeny

4. Example: Tracing of the hair follicle stem cell progeny
Interfollicular epidermis
stem cells
Maybe a caption here?
 Cre-mediated induction of reporter-gene expression in hair follicle stem cells

5. Example: Tracing of the hair follicle stem cell progeny
Interfollicular epidermis
stem cells
Maybe a caption here?
 Tracing of hair follicle stem cell progeny – independently of Cre-expression