Transfection of mouse eggs and embryos using DNA combined to cationic liposomes

We have used plasmid DNA in combination with cationic liposomes to transfect mouse eggs and embryos. The plasmid was rhodamine labeled, which allowed a direct visualization of the DNA uptake by the cells. Immature eggs, collected from the ovaries, were easily transfected, but once the egg was ovulated the zona pellucida (ZP) acted as a barrier and prevented transfection. Permeabilization or removal of the ZP was therefore a requirement to allow transfection. Transfected eggs were capable of being fertilized in vitro giving raise to embryos that expressed the recombinant protein. Morulae and blastocysts were also transfected when the ZP was permeabilized, but the efficiency of transfection decreased and in some cases not all the blastomeres incorporated the plasmid. Pronuclear embryos were cultured and showed expression of the transgene from the 2-cell stage. This indicates that liposome-transfection of oocytes or pronuclear embryos could be a simple and suitable method to introduce foreign genes in embryos and perhaps could be also useful to generate transgenic animals.     

Increased Efficiency of Transgenic Livestock Production

Production of transgenic livestock by pronuclear microinjection of DNA into fertilized zygotes suffers from the compounded inefficiencies of low embryo survival and low integration frequencies of the injected DNA into the genome. These inefficiencies are one of the major obstacles to the large-scale use of pronuclear microinjection techniques in livestock. We investigated exploiting the properties of recombinase proteins that allow them to bind DNA to generate transgenic animals via pronuclear microinjection. In theory, the use of recombinase proteins has the potential to generate transgenic animals with targeted changes, but in practice we found that the use of RecA recombinase-coated DNA increases the efficiency of transgenic livestock production. The use of RecA protein resulted in a significant increase in both embryo survival rates and transgene integration frequencies. Embryo survival rates were doubled in goats, and transgene integration was 11-fold higher in goats and three-fold higher in pigs when RecA protein-coated DNA was used compared with conventional DNA constructs without RecA protein coating. However, a large number of the transgenic founders generated with RecA protein-coated DNA were mosaic. The RecA protein coating of DNA is straightforward and can be applied to any species and any existing microinjection apparatus. These findings represent significant improvements on standard pronuclear microinjection methods by enabling the more efficient production of transgenic livestock.     

Strain-Dependent Differences in the Efficiency of Transgenic Mouse Production

Transgenic mouse production via pronuclear microinjection is a complex process consisting of a number of sequential steps. Many different factors contribute to the effectiveness of each step and thus influence the overall efficiency of transgenic mouse production. The response of egg donor females to superovulation, the fertilization rate, egg survival after injection, ability of manipulated embryos to implant and develop to term, and concentration and purity of the injected DNA all contribute to transgenic production efficiency. We evaluated and compared the efficiency of transgenic mouse production using four different egg donor mouse strains: B6D2/F1 hybrids, Swiss Webster (SW) outbred, and inbred FVB/N and C57BL/6. The data included experiments involving 350 DNA transgene constructs performed by a high capacity core transgenic mouse facility. Significant influences of particular genetic backgrounds on the efficiency of different steps of the production process were found. Except for egg production, FVB/N mice consistently produced the highest efficiency of transgenic mouse production at each step of the process. B6D2/F2 hybrid eggs are also quite efficient, but lyze more frequently than FVB/N eggs after DNA microinjection. SW eggs on the other hand block at the 1-cell stage more often than eggs from the other strains. Finally, using C57BL/6 eggs the main limiting factor is that the fetuses derived from injected eggs do not develop to term as often as the other strains. Based on our studies, the procedure for transgenic mouse production can be modified for each egg donor strain in order to overcome any deficiencies, and thus to increase the overall efficiency of transgenic mouse production.     

PCR扩增同源重组片段筛选转基因胚胎

使用小鼠乳清酸蛋白基因（ＷＡＰ）启动子控制下的人集落刺激因子（Ｇ－ＣＳＦ）基因为显微注射片段,采用ＰＣＲ方法检测了转基因胚,为消除ＰＣＲ扩增中的假阳性结果,构建了两个具有部分同源性的亚克隆片段进行共注射．ＰＣＲ扩增片段跨越这一同源区域,仅当注射的片段能够整合并发生正常重组,转基因整合胚才能以相对高的比例扩增出特异性片段．结果表明,１、２和８细胞期的阳性率分别为１１．１％、５５．５％和４４．４％,较常规ＰＣＲ检测获得更为明确的结论,为在大动物转基因胚胎检测提供了依据     

绿色荧光蛋白转基因小鼠模型的建立及胚胎冷冻保种

目的建立绿色荧光蛋白转基因小鼠模型,并采取胚胎冷冻的方法进行保种。方法通过原核显微注射法,把线性化、纯化后的外源基因pEGFP注射入BDF1小鼠受精卵中,胚胎移植给同期发情的假孕受体母鼠,获得子代小鼠。经鉴定对有表达的转基因鼠进行胚胎冷冻保种。结果移植注射胚胎385枚给30只假孕小鼠共出生了306只后代鼠,经PCR和southern blot检测得到5只阳性小鼠。F2代转基因鼠胚胎冷冻240枚胚胎。结论通过显微注射法使外源基因pEGFP在小鼠基因组中得到整合,建立了转pEGFP的转基因小鼠模型。     

显微注射法制备转基因小鼠的技术研究

转基因技术是发生工程学或胚胎操作技术中的一部分。这一技术包括有受精卵的采集,受精卵的体外培养,胚胎移植等技术,转基因动物制作是其应用技术之一,它是将外源ＤＮＡ片段用显微注射法直接注入受精卵原核,使外源ＤＮＡ随机整合到寄主基因组中而形成转基因小鼠。我们建立完善这一技术的目的是在实验动物的生产中为转基因动物的生产提供稳定可靠的保证。我们将ｐＣＸＴＧＡＰ、ｐＣＳＬＮ等基因分别注入受精卵原核制备相应的转基因动物模型,并从中总结较佳的操作技术。结果经检测阳性转基因小鼠占出生幼鼠的１６３８％。我们认为不仅要有精细的微注射技术、动物的选用和饲育、严密的胚胎操作都是转基因动物制作成功的重要条件。     

Nanoinjection: pronuclear DNA delivery using a charged lance

We present a non-fluidic pronuclear injection method using a silicon microchip ??nanoinjector?? composed of a microelectromechanical system with a solid, electrically conductive lance. Unlike microinjection which uses fluid delivery of DNA, nanoinjection electrically accumulates DNA on the lance, the DNA-coated lance is inserted into the pronucleus, and DNA is electrically released. We compared nanoinjection and microinjection side-by-side over the course of 4?days, injecting 1,013 eggs between the two groups. Nanoinjected zygotes had significantly higher rates of integration per injected embryo, with 6.2?% integration for nanoinjected embryos compared to 1.6?% integration for microinjected embryos. This advantage is explained by nanoinjected zygotes?? significantly higher viability in two stages of development: zygote progress to two-cell stage, and progress from two-cell stage embryos to birth. We observed that 77.6?% of nanoinjected zygotes proceeded to two-cell stage compared to 54.7?% of microinjected zygotes. Of the healthy two-cell stage embryos, 52.4?% from the nanoinjection group and 23.9?% from the microinjected group developed into pups. Structural advantages of the nanoinjector are likely to contribute to the high viability observed. For instance, because charge is used to retain and release DNA, extracellular fluid is not injected into the pronucleus and the cross-sectional area of the nanoinjection lance (0.06???m²) is smaller than that of a microinjection pipette tip (0.78???m²). According to results from the comparative nanoinjection versus microinjection study, we conclude that nanoinjection is a viable method of pronuclear DNA transfer which presents viability advantages over microinjection.     

Efficiency of transgenic rat production is independent of transgene-construct and overnight embryo culture

The aim of the present work was to study factors affecting the efficiency of transgenic technology in rats. We investigated the possible effects of pronuclear microinjection of buffer or different DNA-constructs on survival and development of rat zygotes in vitro and in vivo as well as the influence of overnight culture of these embryos before transfer into pseudopregnant foster mothers. The survival rate of zygotes and their development to the two-cell and morula stage was not affected by pronuclear microinjection with different DNA-constructs or buffer. However, the development to the blastocyst stage was impaired. Nevertheless, there was no difference in blastocyst development between zygotes injected with DNA-constructs or with buffer. Neither was there a difference in cell number in in vitro cultured blastocysts resulting from pronuclear microinjection of a transgene compared with non-injected controls. The survival rate to term was about 30% irrespective of whether microinjected embryos were transferred immediately after microinjection or after overnight culture in vitro. However, a reduction in the survival to term was observed for non-injected zygotes when they were developed in vitro to the two-cell stage before transfer to a pseudopregnant female. The percentage of transgenic rats that resulted from microinjected zygotes was similar in all groups regardless of the DNA-construct used (2.7-10.0%). In conclusion, the main detrimental factor in the microinjection of rat zygotes is the introduction of solution in the pronucleus. Overnight culture of zygotes between microinjection and oviduct transfer does not decrease the efficiency of transgenic rat generation.     

一种简便的适合抱卵孵化甲壳动物的转基因方法

动物转基因的方法有很多,但对于许多抱卵孵化的甲壳动物,许多已有的转基因方法不可行或不易操作。在对罗氏沼虾(Macrobrachium rosenbergii)的基因改良过程中,通过精荚微注射(spermatophore-microinjection, SMI),将目的基因直接注射到交配后的雌虾胸部腹面的精荚中,再由精子介导的简便高效的转基因技术,成功地将抗冻蛋白基因导入到罗氏沼虾的胚胎中,获得了16%以上的基因转移率。这一方法的建立,为进一步开展抱卵孵化的甲壳动物的分子遗传和发育生物学的研究以及育种工作的研究奠定了基础。     

人BAFF转基因斑马鱼的构建及早期免疫基因表达检测

目的建立人BAFF转基因斑马鱼模型,探讨其在自身免疫性疾病发病中的作用。方法RT-PCR法由人淋巴瘤细胞克隆了人BAFF基因全长855bp蛋白编码区域,构建表达人BAFF重组质粒Tol2-hBAFF,体外细胞转染并通过免疫印迹法验证蛋白表达。重组载体经显微注射斑马鱼受精卵后,GFP荧光跟踪并筛选阳性鱼。qPCR法检测早期免疫相关基因表达情况。结果人BAFF-GFP融合蛋白可成功表达,利用Tol2-hBAFF重组质粒显微注射斑马鱼受精卵可获得表达人BAFF的转基因斑马鱼,且表达人BAFF斑马鱼1dpf胚胎中TCRAC明显高表达,而Ikaros则表达量显著降低,表明在斑马鱼胚胎中表达人BAFF蛋白会造成早期淋巴系统中基因的过早表达。结论建立的表达人BAFF的转基因斑马鱼,可为系统性红斑狼疮等与BAFF功能亢进密切相关的自身免疫性疾病的治疗,及相关机制研究提供一种具有诸多优点的新型工具。     

Developmental potential of early bovine zygotes submitted to centrifugation and microinjection following in vitro maturation of oocytes

This study was designed to investigate the potential use of in vitro matured, in vitro fertilized bovine zygotes for producing transgenic calves by microinjection of foreign DNA. In Experiment 1, the effect of centrifugation (4 min, 15,000 x g, 20 degrees C) on in vitro derived bovine zygotes was evaluated. In vitro development from 2 to 8 cells was not affected (80 vs 78%) when control zygotes (n = 211) were compared with zygotes treated (n = 210) 18 h post insemination. In Experiment 2, the influence of the centrifugation alone on the developmental potential of embryos was evaluated in rabbit oviducts for 120 h. The percentage of control and treated zygotes that developed to 1, 2 to 8, 8 to 32 and more than 32 cells were 7, 54, 10 and 10% vs 7, 40, 11 and 10%, respectively. In Experiment 3, the effect of pronuclear injection with plasmid containing CRF (corticotropin releasing factor) gene or pOCAT 330 Delta1 plasmids; 2 mug/ml in Tris 10 mM, EDTA 0.2 mM, 18 to 20 h post insemination was evaluated by in vivo development in the rabbit oviduct. The embryos submitted only to centrifugation and vortexing resulted in a morula-blastocyst (> 32 cells) rate of 25% (n = 226) compared with the injected zygotes of which only 5% (n = 206) achieved the same stage. We conclude that in vitro produced bovine zygotes have a reduced developmental potential following microinjection, and this effect is not due to the centrifugation process.     

Electroporation: a method for transferring genes into the gametes of zebrafish (Brachydanio rerio), channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), and common carp (Cyprinus carpio).

Recombinant plasmids containing the Rous sarcoma virus long-terminal repeat (RSVLTR) promoter linked to either rainbow trout (Oncorhyncus mykiss) growth hormone 1 (rtGH1) or growth hormone 2 (rtGH2) cDNA were linearized and introduced into the fertilized eggs of zebrafish (Brachydanio rerio), channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), and common carp (Cyprinus carpio) by both electroporation and microinjection. The latter two species had these rainbow trout constructs (RSVLTR-rtGH1cDNA or RSVLTR-rtGH2) electroporated into both gametes (i.e., sperm and unfertilized eggs) prior to fertilization, into eggs shortly after fertilization, and at the first cell division stage. Survival was determined just after hatching and again between 3 and 5 months after hatching. Polymerase chain reactions and Southern blot analyses were used to detect those individuals carrying the introduced foreign genes 3 to 5 months after hatching, respectively. Individuals analyzed by both methods yielded identical results in a double-blind study. The electroporation results were compared with groups that were microinjected. Although survival was similar, electroporation tended to produce a greater number of transgenic individuals than the microinjection procedure, and many more eggs could be treated per unit time by electroporation than microinjection. Survival was better for common carp when electroporation was performed shortly after fertilization, whereas channel catfish fared better at the first cell division stage. Electroporation prior to and shortly after fertilization, and at the first cell stage appeared to generate a large fraction of transgenic fish. We cautiously conclude that electroporation is an efficient method for introducing foreign DNA into fish gametes and embryos and may be an ideal method for treating large numbers of gametes in a modest period.     

一种改进的显微注射用DNA片段的纯化方法

目的显微注射用DNA的纯度是影响转基因动物制备成功与否的重要因素,本文建立一种可行的适用于普通实验室的纯化DNA方法,替代普遍使用的试剂盒纯化方法。方法分别使用酚-氯仿多次抽提法及常规的凝胶提取试剂盒纯化含有蚓激酶基因的DNA片段,通过显微注射技术将纯化的DNA片段导入小鼠受精卵的原核,制备转基因小鼠。根据转基因实验的结果对两种方法进行比较。结果使用两种方法纯化DNA均能获得转基因小鼠。在DNA纯度及注射卵的存活率上,两种方法无明显差别;在移植卵的出生率及转基因阳性率上,抽提法优于试剂盒法。结论本实验建立的抽提方法可以替代试剂盒方法纯化显微注射用DNA片段,在降低实验成本、简化实验条件及提高转基因阳性率方面具有优势。     

The goldfish hAT-family transposon Tgf2 is capable of autonomous excision in zebrafish embryos

The goldfish (Carassius auratus) Tgf2 transposon is a vertebrate DNA transposon that belongs to the hAT transposon family. In this study, we constructed plasmids containing either the full-length Tgf2 transposon (pTgf2 plasmid) or a partially-deleted Tgf2 transposon (ΔpTgf2 plasmid), and microinjected these plasmids into fertilized zebrafish (Danio rerio) eggs at the one- to two-cell stage. DNA extracted from the embryos was analyzed by PCR to assess transient excision, if any, of the exogenous plasmid and to verify whether Tgf2 is an autonomous transposon. The results showed that excision-specific bands were not detected in embryos injected with the ΔpTgf2 plasmid, while bands of 300–500 bp were detected in embryos injected with pTgf2, which indicated that the full-length Tgf2-containing plasmid could undergo autonomous excision in zebrafish embryos. DNA cloned from 24 embryos injected with pTgf2 was sequenced, and the results suggested that Tgf2 underwent self-excision in zebrafish embryos. Cloning and PCR analysis of DNA extracted from embryos co-injected with ΔpTgf2 and in vitro-transcribed transposase mRNA indicated that partially-deleted-Tgf2-containing ΔpTgf2 plasmid also underwent excision, in the presence of functional transposase mRNA. DNA cloned from 25 embryos co-injected with ΔpTgf2 and transposase mRNA was sequenced, and the results suggested that partially-deleted Tgf2 transposons plasmids were excised. These results demonstrated that excisions of Tgf2 transposons were mediated by the Tgf2 transposase, which in turn confirmed that Tgf2 is an autonomous transposon.     

Timing of DNA integration, transgenic mosaicism, and pronuclear microinjection

Selection of transgenic embryos prior to embryo transfer is a means to increase the efficiency of transgenic livestock production. Among transgenic reporters, cytoplasmic expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) has features that make it ideal for transgenic embryo selection. The primary objective of this study was to assess cytoplasmic expression of a specially designed GFP reporter as a tool for transgenic bovine embryo selection. A second objective was to evaluate this reporter for studying transgenic mosaicism related to timing of integration of pronuclear microinjected DNA. Transgenic embryos produced by pronuclear injection showed a discrete pattern of GFP expression with clusters at 25, 50, and 100% of blastomeres expressing GFP. This pattern of mosaicism is interpreted to indicate that the integration of microinjected DNA occurred, not only at the pronuclear stage, but also in the subsequent cell divisions. Among the GFP-positive transgenic embryos, only in 21% did all the blastomeres show the green fluorescence. Using the fraction of positive blastomeres within an embryo, the timing of integration of microinjected DNA was estimated. The frequency of nonmosaic embryos expressing GFP is consistent with published germline transmission success rates of transgenic cattle derived from pronuclear microinjected embryos. These results indicate the possible application of GFP as a marker of transgenic embryos and graphically illustrate underlying complexities in DNA integration in embryos subjected to pronuclear microinjection.     

Expressing exogenous genes in newts by transgenesis

The great regenerative abilities of newts provide the impetus for studies at the molecular level. However, efficient methods for gene regulation have historically been quite limited. Here we describe a protocol for transgenically expressing exogenous genes in the newt Cynops pyrrhogaster. This method is simple: a reaction mixture of I-SceI meganuclease and a plasmid DNA carrying a transgene cassette flanked by the enzyme recognition sites is directly injected into fertilized eggs. The protocol achieves a high efficiency of transgenesis, comparable to protocols used in other animal systems, and it provides a practical number of transgenic newts (～20% of injected embryos) that survive beyond metamorphosis and that can be applied to regenerative studies. The entire protocol for obtaining transgenic adult newts takes 4-5 months.     

Generation of transgenic mice by transfection of pronuclear embryos using lipid-DNA complexes

We had previously developed a methodology to introduce foreign DNA into mouse eggs and embryos using cationic lipids as vectors. In this report we use this technique to produce transgenic animals. Mouse embryos at the pronuclear stage were transfected using a mixture of a plasmid DNA, encoding for a nuclear form of beta-galactosidase, and a commercial lipid transfection reagent. Embryos were washed and incubated overnight. Those that cleaved and develop to the 2-cell stage of normal appearance were transferred to the Fallopian tubes of pseudopregnant foster mothers. We analysed a total of 158 offspring and found two, a female and a male, to be transgenic (1.27% of the total). Integration of the foreign DNA in the female was showed by Southern blot. Both animals expressed the lacz in several organs, but none of them either displayed expression in the germ cells or transmitted the transgene to their offspring. Taken together our results show that lipid transfection can generate transgenic mice, but the efficiency needs to be improved for this method to be widely applied.