Abstract
Intersectional genetics is an advanced dual recombinase technology developed to gain more precision in cell fate mapping and gene function analysis in vivo. It relies on overlapping expression patterns of a pair of site-specific DNA recombinases, Cre and Dre, to gain high-resolution targeting of specific cell populations. In this issue of Circulation, Han et al report the application of intersectional genetics to target four SMC subtypes residing in different segments of disease-prone arteries. The innovative new tools generated and the precision targeting results obtained suggest a powerful new experimental approach is available to test the possibility that the regional distribution of vascular disease has a developmental basis in vivo.