Pulse-chase experiment using the doxycycline-inducible H2B-GFP system.

A schematic representation of the experiment is given in A, where a 7-day treatment with doxycycline (pulse) results in expression of H2B-GFP throughout the entire organism. At different chase time points (12 and 47 weeks after pulse), the GFP signal is progressively diluted from dividing cells and retained in quiescent cells in the distal oviduct (B). In the proximal oviduct (C) and the endometrium (D), label-retaining cells (LRCs) are lost at both 12 and 47 weeks chase time points. FACSorting was performed on single cell digestions of oviducts from different mice. In (E), the GFP signal is plotted against the number of cells. Animals used were: untreated mice as negative controls (black line, Negative); mice pulsed for 7 days (no chase) as positive controls (red line, Pulse); mice pulsed for 7 days and chased for 12 weeks (green line, 12 weeks); and mice pulsed for 7 days and chased for 47 weeks (light-green line, 47 weeks). The scale bar represents 50 μM.