The 8 Kb targeting vector was designed to replace a region upstream of exon 2 to downstream of exon 8 with EGFP and a loxP-flanked neomycin (neo) resistance cassette (in opposite transcriptional orientation to the EGFP). The vector also changed the initiation codon at the beginning of exon 2. The neomycin cassette was removed by crossing mice with a transgenic strain expressing Tg(Ella-cre)C5379Lgmd. Northern blot confirmed the absence of mRNA. EGFP expression is detected throughout the brain, and is elevated in the hippocampus.