Distal element(s) is(are) required for position-independent expression of the goat α-lactalbumin gene in transgenic mice. Potential relationship with the location of the cyclin T1 locus

We recently reported the site-independent and copy-number-related expression in mice of a goat α-lactalbumin gene with 150 kb and 10 kb of 5''- and 3''-flanking sequences, respectively. In the present study, we observed that the resection of the 5''-flanking region, leaving only 70 kb, resulted in a site-dependent expression of this milk protein-encoding transgene. This suggests that important cis-regulatory elements are located within the distal-deleted sequence. Within this region, we localised the promoter of the cyclin T1 gene, an ubiquitously expressed gene. So far, no other gene has been located between these two loci. Since these two genes are differentially expressed, our data suggest the potential location of an insulator within the deleted region that allows the two genes to be independently regulated.     

Tissue-specific and expression of porcine growth hormone gene in BAC transgenic mice

One of the primary goals of traditional livestock breeding is to improve growth rate and optimise body size. Growth rate can be significantly increased by integrating a growth hormone (GH) transgene under the control of a ubiquitous promoter, but while such animals do demonstrate increased growth there are also serious deleterious side-effects to the animals health. Here we report the generation and initial characterization of transgenic mice that carried a porcine BAC encoding the porcine GH gene. We show that GH expression is restricted specifically to the pituitary, is associated with elevated IGF-1 levels, and results in growth enhancement. No negative effects to the health of the transgenic animals were detected. This initial characterisation supports the use of BAC pGH transgene in livestock studies.     

Restricted tissue-specific but correct developmental expression mediated by a short human α1AT promoter fragment in transgenic mice

The tissue-specific and developmental pattern of expression controlled by the proximal promoter (position –348 to+15) derived from the human -1-antitrypsin (h1AT) gene was studied in transgenic mice. The short promoter segment was linked to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene. The transgene showed highly specific expression in the liver and the correct developmental pattern of regulation. Interestingly, this short promoter targets expression to the liver with a greater specificity than that reported for larger 1AT promoter fragments.     

The Insulator Effect of the 5′HS4 Region from the β-globin Chicken Locus on the Rabbit WAP Gene Promoter Activity in Transgenic Mice

Previous studies have shown that the 5'HS4 DNaseI hypersensitive site of the chicken beta-globin locus is endowed with classic insulator activities: (i) it blocks the interaction between promoter and enhancers when it is inserted between them (ii) it confers expression of integrated foreign genes independent of their position in the chromatin. The aim of this present work was to determine whether the 5'HS4 element was able to stimulate the expression level and/or to increase the expression frequency of a luc+ reporter gene controlled by the rabbit WAP gene promoter. Two constructs with 5'HS4 insulator (p5'HS4-WAPluc) or without (pWAPluc) were introduced in mouse fertilised oocytes. All transgenic lines containing the 5'HS4 element (six lines) expressed the transgene whereas only two out of eight lines harbouring the pWAP-luc construct expressed the transgene to a significant level. Moreover, the mean level of expression was seven times higher in p5'HS4WAP-luc lines than in pWAP-luc lines. Even all these benefits on transgene expression, the 5'HS4 element did not confer a copy-dependent expression, did not decrease the ectopic expression of the reporter gene and did not decrease the variability of expression. Thus, the 5'HS4 element does not have all the properties of a perfect insulator on a construct containing the luc+ reporter gene controlled by the rabbit WAP promoter.     

Tissue specific expression of an α-skeletal actin-lacZ fusion gene during development in transgenic mice

Transgenic mice carrying a chimaeric transgene containing 730 bp of the 5-flanking sequences and the entire first intron of the rat -skeletal actin gene fused to thelacZ reporter gene have been produced by microinjection. ThelacZ reporter gene was used to verify the suitability of using the rat -actin promoter elements to target expression of genes of agricultural and therapeutic value exclusively to skeletal and heart muscle cells and fibres of transgenic mice. Expression of the transgene indicates a tightly regulated developmental and muscle specific control of the rat -skeletal actin gene, making it a useful promoter for gene targeting to muscle tissues. The cells destined to form muscle tissues in these transgenic mice are readily visualized in intact embryos by staining for -galactosidase activity, making them a suitable animal model for studying the origin and development of skeletal and cardiac muscle tissues.     

A modified RMCE-compatible Rosa26 locus for the expression of transgenes from exogenous promoters

Generation of gain-of-function transgenic mice by targeting the Rosa26 locus has been established as an alternative to classical transgenic mice produced by pronuclear microinjection. However, targeting transgenes to the endogenous Rosa26 promoter results in moderate ubiquitous expression and is not suitable for high expression levels. Therefore, we now generated a modified Rosa26 (modRosa26) locus that combines efficient targeted transgenesis using recombinase-mediated cassette exchange (RMCE) by Flipase (Flp-RMCE) or Cre recombinase (Cre-RMCE) with transgene expression from exogenous promoters. We silenced the endogenous Rosa26 promoter and characterized several ubiquitous (pCAG, EF1α and CMV) and tissue-specific (VeCad, αSMA) promoters in the modRosa26 locus in vivo. We demonstrate that the ubiquitous pCAG promoter in the modRosa26 locus now offers high transgene expression. While tissue-specific promoters were all active in their cognate tissues they additionally led to rare ectopic expression. To achieve high expression levels in a tissue-specific manner, we therefore combined Flp-RMCE for rapid ES cell targeting, the pCAG promoter for high transgene levels and Cre/LoxP conditional transgene activation using well-characterized Cre lines. Using this approach we generated a Cre/LoxP-inducible reporter mouse line with high EGFP expression levels that enables cell tracing in live cells. A second reporter line expressing luciferase permits efficient monitoring of Cre activity in live animals. Thus, targeting the modRosa26 locus by RMCE minimizes the effort required to target ES cells and generates a tool for the use exogenous promoters in combination with single-copy transgenes for predictable expression in mice.     

A mouse transgene drives embryonic dorsal posterior commissure expression

In this report we generated mice co-transgenic for a minimal promoter LacZ construct and a mouse BAC from the gene poor region upstream of the Hoxd cluster. In addition to expression in the distal limb, genital bud, and spinal cord, we show that this BAC transgene also reproducibly drives unique bilateral, dorsal posterior commissure expression. The ability of this BAC to direct posterior commissure expression makes it worthy of further study as a valuable tool in transgenic/targeting experiments. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Cyclin D1 transgene impedes lymphocyte maturation and collaborates in lymphomagenesis with the myc gene.

Cyclin D1 is the regulatory subunit of certain protein kinases thought to advance the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Deregulated cyclin D1 expression has been implicated in several human neoplasms, most consistently in centrocytic B lymphoma, where the cyclin D1 gene usually has been translocated to an immunoglobulin locus. To determine directly whether constitutive cyclin D1 expression is lymphomagenic, transgenic mice were generated having the cyclin D1 gene linked to an immunoglobulin enhancer. Despite abundant transgene expression, their lymphocytes were normal in cell cycle activity, size and mitogen responsiveness, but young transgenic animals contained fewer mature B- and T-cells. Although spontaneous tumours were infrequent, lymphomagenesis was much more rapid in mice that co-expressed the cyclin D1 transgene and a myc transgene than in mice expressing either transgene alone. Moreover, the spontaneous lymphomas of myc transgenic animals often ectopically expressed the endogenous cyclin D1 gene. These findings indicate that this G1 cyclin can modulate differentiation and collaborate with myc-like genes in oncogenesis.     

牛乳铁蛋白肽转基因小鼠的构建

目的:探讨牛乳铁蛋白肽在转基因鼠乳汁中的表达及其抑菌活性。方法:将实验室构建并保存的包含山羊β-酪蛋白基因启动子和牛乳铁蛋白肽基因的乳腺特异表达载体PI-bcp-LfcinB,用Xho I和Nru I双酶切,得到含有全部表达盒的显微注射DNA片段,采用常规显微注射技术获得转基因小鼠。并通过对泌乳期转基因雌鼠乳腺组织的RT-PCR检测,确定了牛乳铁蛋白肽在mRNA水平的表达,同时利用琼脂板扩散法检测了转基因鼠乳汁中表达产物的抑菌活性。结果:获得了牛乳铁蛋白肽转基因小鼠,且转基因小鼠乳汁中能够表达具有抑菌活性的牛乳铁蛋白肽。结论:通过转基因动物乳腺可以获得具有生物活性的牛乳铁蛋白肽,为进一步研究抗菌肽转基因牛、培育抗乳房炎奶牛新品种以及通过建立转基因动物生物反应器进行抗菌肽的大量生产奠定了基础。