Specific recording, labeling, and spatiotemporal manipulating neurons are essential for neuroscience research. In this study, we developed a tripartite spatiotemporal gene induction system in C. elegans, which is based on the knockout of two transcriptional terminators (stops in short) by two different recombinases FLP and CRE. The recombinase sites (loxP and FRT) flanked stops after a ubiquitous promoter terminate transcription of target genes. FLP and CRE, induced by two promoters of overlapping expression, remove the stops (subsequent FLP/CRE-out). The system provides an "AND" gate strategy for specific gene expression in single types of cell(s). Combined with an inducible promoter or element, the system can control the spatiotemporal expression of genes in defined cell types, especially in cells or tissues lacking a specific promoter. This tripartite FLP/CRE-out gene expression system is a simple, labor- and cost-saving toolbox for cell type-specific and inducible gene expression in C. elegans.

特定的记录，标记和时空操纵神经元对于神经科学研究至关重要。在这项研究中，我们开发了秀丽隐杆线虫的三方时空基因诱导系统，该系统基于两个不同的重组酶FLP和CRE敲除两个转录终止子（简称终止）。重组酶位点（lox P和FRT）在普遍存在的启动子终止靶基因的转录后，侧翼停止。由两个表达重叠的启动子诱导的FLP和CRE去除了终止子（随后的FLP / CRE输出）。该系统为单一类型细胞中的特定基因表达提供了“与”门策略。结合可诱导的启动子或元件，该系统可以控制基因在特定细胞类型中的时空表达，特别是在缺乏特定启动子的细胞或组织中。该三方FLP / CRE-out基因表达系统是一种简单，省力且节省成本的工具箱，用于在秀丽隐杆线虫中进行细胞类型特异性和可诱导的基因表达。