Around 21 days of age, mouse pups were weaned and their tails were clipped for genetic analysis. DNA was extracted with a tissue DNA extraction kit purchased from Biomiga, Inc. (San Diego, CA). Primers for the α5 wildtype and mutant genes were: α5 wildtype forward (5'-CACTGTCACTTGGACGCAGCC-3'); α5 wildtype reverse (5'-GTTCCCCTTGCTCCCCATTGC-3'), Neo-1 (5'-CTTTTTGTCAAGACCGACCTGTCCG-3'); and Neo-2 (5'-CTCGATGCGATGTTTCGCTTGGTG-3'). Samples were processed for genetic amplification with PCR and subsequently run on a 1% agarose gel with ethidium bromide. The band for the α5 wildtype gene was at 190bp, and the α5 mutant gene was at 290bp.
