Table 1 Transgenic reporter mouse lines

C57Bl/6 J Cx ₃ cr1 ^gfp/+

Knock-in mouse line where one copy of the Cx ₃ Cr1 gene is replaced by the GFP reporter gene [12].

Cx₃Cr1 (GFP^hi) is expressed in monocytes, subsets of natural killer and T cells, DCs, and microglia.

Extensively used to study monocytes during normal and diseased state in gut [72,73], kidney [74,75], brain [76,77], and the retina of the eye [8,78].

C57Bl/6 N CD11c-eYFP

Reporter mouse line that expresses eYFP under the CD11c (Itgax) promoter [25].

CD11c is a cell surface molecule expressed on myeloid cells, lymphocytes, natural killer cells and DCs [79]. In C57Bl/6 N CD11c-eYFP mice, DCs are characterized by CD11c-eYFP^hi while B and T cells are CD11c-eYFP^lo [25].

Extensively used to study distribution of DCs in numerous organs including the brain [31,32,80], lung [34], skin [35], gut [36], and the cornea of the eye [33].

C57Bl/6 J LysM-eGFP

Reporter mouse line that expresses eGFP under the LysM promoter [26].

LysM is expressed in neutrophil granulocytes (LysM-eGFP^hi) and macrophages (LysM-eGFP^lo) [26,37].

Widely used to study neutrophil extravasation during infection [81,82] and inflammation [37,83].