ADAM8 (a disintegrin and metalloprotease 8, also referred to as MS2/CD156a) is a membrane‐anchored metalloprotease that was first identified in a macrophage cell line and has been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we evaluated the expression of ADAM8 during mouse development and generated mice lacking ADAM8 (Adam8−/− mice). During early mouse development, ADAM8 is expressed by maternal cells in the decidua and by trophoblast derivatives of the embryo but not in the derivatives of the inner cell mass. At later stages, prominent expression of ADAM8 is seen in the embryo proper, in the gonadal ridge, thymus, developing cartilage and bone, brain and spinal cord, and in the mesenchyme in close proximity to the branch point between the jugular vein and developing lymphatic vessels. Examination of Adam8−/− mice, however, revealed no major defects in these or other structures during development or in adult tissues and no evident pathological phenotypes. Developmental Dynamics 232:221–231, 2005. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.