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Chemically induced forestomach papillomas in transgenic mice carry mutant human c-Ha-ras transgenes.

Forestomach papillomas and skin papillomas were induced very efficiently by a single dose administration of the chemical carcinogen methylnitrosourea (MNU) in transgenic mice (rasH2 line) carrying human hybrid c-Ha-ras genes, which encode the prototype p21 gene product. The incidence of forestomach papillomas was dose dependent; when 50 mg/kg of MNU were administered i.p., all of the transgenic mice (56 of 56) developed forestomach papillomas within 12 weeks after administration, whereas 5 and 0.5 mg/kg of MNU induced papillomas in 2 of 19 and 1 of 19 mice, respectively. Nine of 56 transgenic mice (16%) also developed skin papillomas at sites wounded by bites or scratches. Only 1 of 77 nontransgenic littermates developed forestomach papillomas after administration of 50 mg/kg of MNU, and no skin papillomas appeared within 12 weeks after MNU administration. The transgenes (integrated copy number, 5-6) in the tumors developed in 55 of 56 affected transgenic mice (98%) contained at least 1 copy of the transgene that was activated by somatic point mutation at the 12th codon, from GGC (Gly) to GAC (Asp). Because somatic point mutations at the 12th or 61st codon of transgenes have never been detected in normal tissues of transgenic mice thus far examined, these mutational activations of transgenes are tumor-specific events. RNA expression of these activated transgenes was also detected. From these results, it is suggested that somatic mutational activation of the human c-Ha-ras transgene plays a causative role in the occurrence of forestomach and skin papillomas induced by MNU administration in these transgenic mice. This transgenic mouse provides a unique screening system for chemicals that induce or suppress papillomagenesis.

Animals

Transgenes expressing the Wnt-1 and int-2 proto-oncogenes cooperate during mammary carcinogenesis in doubly transgenic mice.

The Wnt-1 and int-2 proto-oncogenes are transcriptionally activated by mouse mammary tumor virus insertion mutations in virus-induced tumors and encode secretory glycoproteins. To determine whether these two genes can cooperate during carcinogenesis, we have crossed two previously characterized lines of transgenic mice to obtain bitransgenic animals carrying both Wnt-1 and int-2 transgenes under the control of the mouse mammary tumor virus long terminal repeat. Mammary carcinomas appear earlier and with higher frequency in the bitransgenic animals, especially the males, than in either parental line. Nearly all bitransgenic males develop mammary neoplasms within 8 months of birth, whereas only 15% of Wnt-1 transgenic males and none of the int-2 transgenic males have tumors. In virgin bitransgenic females, tumors occur approximately 2 months earlier than in their Wnt-1 transgenic siblings; int-2 transgenic females rarely exhibit tumors. Preneoplastic glands from the bitransgenic animals of either sex demonstrate pronounced epithelial hyperplasia similar to that seen in Wnt-1 transgenic virgin females and males, and both transgenes are expressed in the hyperplastic glands and mammary tumors. RNA from the int-2 transgene is more abundant in mammary glands from bitransgenic animals than from int-2 transgenic animals; the increase is associated with high levels of RNA specific for keratin genes 14 and 18, suggesting that Wnt-1-induced epithelial hyperplasia is responsible for the observed increase in expression of the int-2 transgene.

Animals

Transgenic mice carrying intact HIV provirus: biological effects and organization of a transgene.

Twelve transgenic founder animals retaining intact copies of the infectious molecular clone of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 were obtained. All the founders appeared healthy during a 9- to 12-month observation period. However, transgenic offspring of one of the founders (female #13), died within the 1st month of life while manifesting several symptoms characteristic of human AIDS. To discover why only one transgenic lineage was affected and why the founder animal in the affected lineage remained healthy while all of her transgenic offspring were diseased, we compared the organization of the transgene in the transgenic lineages. Restriction enzyme analysis showed that the founder no. 13 was a mosaic carrying in each transgenic cell four tandemly arranged copies of the infectious molecular clone. All the units of the tandem repeat appeared to be correctly preserved with the exception of the 3'-most copy, which terminated near the start of human sequences that flank the 3' long terminal repeat (LTR). The unaffected founders and their transgenic litter usually carried a high number of copies of the provirus. The 5' terminus of the transgene in the unaffected animals appeared to be deleted or rearranged. None of the 12 transgenic founders carried a single copy of integrated provirus. We conclude that infectious molecular clone of HIV-1 can be expressed in transgenic mice, and that the mode of proviral integration similar to that seen during the retroviral infectious cycle (i.e., a single-copy provirus) may be incompatible with the postnatal survival.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals

Multiplex gene regulation: a two-tiered approach to transgene regulation in transgenic mice.

Transgenic mice have been used to study gene function and regulation by introducing inducible or tissue-specific transgenes. This approach is generally limited to studying gene function in adult mice since ectopic expression of many interesting genes is disease causing or may be lethal to the developing embryo. To extend the utility of the transgenic mouse system to the early stages of embryogenesis, we have developed a two-tiered method of gene regulation to control transgene expression. Our multiplex gene regulatory system (MGR) allows the establishment of transgenic lines that harbor inducible potentially lethal transgenes. These inducible transgenes are activated only when mated to a second transgenic animal. Induction in the MGR system provides a high degree of temporal and spatial control over transgene expression and should be suitable for engineering "gain of function mutations" for many developmental genes.

Animals

Limited transcription of rat elastase I transgene repeats in transgenic mice.

The rat elastase I (EI) regulatory region is an enhancer that directs efficient pancreas-specific transcription of linked genes integrated in the chromosomes of transgenic mice. However, with increasing numbers of tandemly repeated EI transgenes, the transcription rate per gene decreased. This decrease was not due to a titration of essential transcription factors, because transgenic mice with as many as 250 copies of the rat EI enhancer continued transcription of the endogenous mouse EI gene at its normal rate. Furthermore, when transgenic mice bearing 250 EI genes and mice bearing 7 copies of an EI enhancer-directed human growth hormone (hGh) gene were mated to produce mice with two unlinked arrays of EI enhancer-driven transgenes, each array was transcribed at the same rate as in mice bearing each array separately. Long tandem arrays of transgenes may inhibit efficient transcription despite the presence of ample amounts of essential transcription factors. Although the transcription rate of the mouse EI gene was not affected by the presence of large numbers of transgenes, the amounts of mouse elastase I and elastase II mRNAs were decreased in the presence of high levels of transgene mRNA, indicating an adjustment of the cell mRNA population.

Animals

Most tumors in transgenic mice with human c-Ha-ras gene contained somatically activated transgenes.

Two independent transgenic mouse lines carrying human hybrid c-Ha-ras genes with their own promoter region encoding prototype products, were established. In these lines, about 50% of transgenic offspring had tumors within 18 months. The tumors developed in restricted tissues and about 60% of affected mice had angiosarcomas. The transgenes were expressed both in the tumors and in all normal tissues. However, somatic mutational activation was detected only in the transgenes of the tumors. The point mutation at the 61st codon, from CAG(Gln) to CTG(Leu), was detected in all angiosarcomas (22/22), some lung adenocarcinomas (3/11) and Harderian gland adenocarcinomas (4/7) in both lines. The other point mutation at the 12th codon from GGC(Gly) to GTC(Val) was detected in two of the four skin papillomas. No mutations on these codons were detected in normal tissues of transgenic mice. Nontransgenic littermates had no tumors at all. From these results, it was strongly suggested that the mouse tumors do not develop only by the expression of the transgenes, and that definite somatic point mutation of the human c-Ha-ras transgenes in certain cell types may be a causative event in tumorigenesis in these transgenic mice.

Animals

Stable lines of transgenic zebrafish exhibit reproducible patterns of transgene expression.

To study the frequency of germ-line transformation and to examine the reproducibility of tissue-specific transgene expression, we produced several lines of transgenic zebrafish expressing a recombinant chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene. Supercoiled plasmids containing both Rous sarcoma virus and SV-40 promoter sequences upstream of the CAT coding region were injected into zebrafish embryos prior to first cleavage. CAT activity could be detected in batches of injected embryos as early as 8 h and up to at least 12 days post-fertilization. Approximately 18% of injected fish raised to maturity exhibited CAT activity in their fins, and approximately 5% of injected fish became stable germ-line transformants. Breeding studies indicated that although transgenic founder fish were frequently germ-line mosaics, transgenic individuals of subsequent generations were fully hemizygous for the transgene marker. The transgenes present in the F1 progeny of four independent lines were relatively well expressed in fin and skin, while lower levels of expression were observed in heart, gill and muscle. Little or no CAT expression was observed in the brain, liver and gonad. A monoclonal antibody directed against the CAT gene product consistently revealed variegated patterns of CAT expression in ectodermally derived fin epidermal cells in three of these lines. These results show that it is possible to efficiently produce stable germ-line transformants of the zebrafish and to observe reproducible tissue-specific patterns of transgene expression in this organism. Possible mechanisms for the variegated expression observed within tissues are also considered.

Animals

Transgenic offspring by transcaryotic implantation of transgenic ovaries into normal mice.

Female transgenic mice may be unable to reproduce successfully if the product encoded by the transgene results in pathological changes or affects the fertility of the mouse. To approach this problem, we have produced chimaeras by transferring the ovaries of transgenic mice into normal mice of the same strain. Such chimaeras will be an ideal tool for investigating the interactions between transgenic ovaries and normal mice or vice versa. Here we show that, using this method, we were able to get large numbers of transgenic offspring even from founder transgenic female mice that were themselves infertile as a result of the overexpression of growth hormone genes. Although none of the ovary recipients were given immunosuppressant treatment, 60% of the recipients had biologically active ovaries over a mean period of about 100 days.

Animals

Immunoglobulin (Ig) mu, kappa transgenic mice express transgenic idiotype on endogenously rearranged IgM and IgA molecules by secretion of chimeric molecules.

The sera of C57BL/6 mice transgenic for a mu a allotype heavy (H) chain and kappa light chain gene contained endogenous nontransgene immunoglobulin (IgM) (mu b allotype) and IgA molecules which carried the idiotype expressed by the transgenically encoded IgM (mu a) molecule. Serological analysis demonstrated that the presence of the transgenic idiotype on endogenous IgM and IgA was caused by the secretion of chimeric molecules that carried both chains encoded by the mu a transgene and products of endogenously rearranged Ig mu b or alpha genes. These and other results suggest that allelic exclusion of Ig gene rearrangement in mu, kappa transgenic mice is not absolute, that B cells can secrete Igs composed of more than a single (H) chain type, and that endogenous isotype switching does not result in a complete silencing of transgene expression.

Animals

Effect of transgenic expression of human alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) on the glycosylation of human and mouse AGP in various transgenic mouse sera.

The occurrence and the glycosylation of human alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) was studied in two classes of transgenic mice expressing either the A, B and B' genes (ABB'-mice) or only the A gene of human AGP (A-mice). The glycosylation of the human AGP molecules in the transgenic mouse sera was compared with the glycosylation of mouse AGP in the same animal and with human AGP in normal human serum by studying their heterogeneity in binding to concanavalin A (Con A), using crossed affino immunoelectrophoresis (CAIE) with Con A as the affinocomponent in the first dimension gel. Three to four different glycosylated fractions of human as well as mouse AGP were revealed by this method in all the transgenic mouse sera. A close relationship was apparent between the heterogeneities in Con A binding of human and mouse AGP in the same transgenic mouse. The magnitude of this so-called Con A reactivity was, however, strongly dependent on the transgenic mouse studied. Especially within the group of ABB'-mice dramatic changes in Con A reactivity were found when the human AGP genes were expressed. This indicates in the first place that the oligosaccharide chains of the human AGP molecules expressed also mouse-specific features. Secondly, and more importantly, these findings indicate that the expression of the human AGP genes affected the glycosylation process of the transgenic mouse liver. This organ is the source of the AGP forms occurring in serum. We do not know whether this effect has been caused by the introduction or the expression of the human gene(s) or by the presence of human AGP in the Golgi system or in serum.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acute-Phase Proteins

Somatic hypermutation of an immunoglobulin transgene in kappa transgenic mice.

Initial studies of somatically acquired mutations in immunoglobulin V regions from hybridomas and myelomas that are not derived from joining aberrations, suggested a controlled and specific hypermutation process, because spontaneous mutation rates observed for other genes are extremely low. Some evidence for the idea that mutations are introduced during V-gene rearrangement came from the clustering of mutations at the joining sites, from the absence of mutations in unrearranged V genes and from the low level of mutations in only partially (D-J) rearranged nonproductive heavy-chain alleles. Another model in which mutations accumulate with each cell division, rather than being introduced all at once, was supported by the finding that immunoglobulin genes of hybridomas derived from a single mouse frequently had several mutations in common, and so might be derived from the same precursor cell whose daughters then accumulated additional mutations. But the common mutations in some cases could be due to as yet unidentified related germline genes, or could represent the effect of antigen selection for certain amino acids. To try to detect hypermutation in the absence of V-gene rearrangement, we isolated B lymphocytes with endogenous heavy-chain gene mutations from transgenic mice carrying pre-rearranged kappa-transgenes. We found that these kappa-transgenes were also somatically mutated. This and other observations indicated that: ongoing rearrangement is not required for mutation; there are signals for hypermutation in the transgenes; the mutations are found only in the variable region, so the constant region may not be a target; different transgene insertion sites are compatible with hypermutations and more than one transgene is expressed in the same cell.

Animals

Divergent disease patterns in granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor transgenic mice associated with different transgene insertion sites.

A comparison was made of disease development in two lines of transgenic mice in which the granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) transgene was inserted in different chromosomal locations. Female-line mice (X chromosome insertion) had equivalent elevations of serum GM-CSF levels to those in male-line mice (autosomal insertion) but a shorter survival (median survival, 95 versus 145 days) and a significantly higher incidence of large inflammatory foci in skeletal muscle and gut congestion. Male-line transgenic mice had higher levels of cells in the peritoneal cavity and a higher frequency of spleen enlargement with excess erythropoiesis than female-line mice and uniquely developed fibrotic nodules in the abdominal and pleural cavities. The various diseases in GM-CSF transgenic mice are likely to have been induced by GM-CSF-stimulated products of macrophages, and in the two transgenic lines the macrophages exhibit characteristic differences in morphology and possibly functional activity.

Animals

[The transgenic characteristics of mice with the gene for the surface antigen of human hepatitis B virus. II. The inheritance of the transgene and its expression in the liver].

The inheritance of the MT-1sAg transgene (a gene of the major envelope polypeptide of human hepatitis B virus under the control of the metallothionein I gene promoter) and its expression in mouse liver cells have been studied. The Mendel inheritance of the transgene for three generations of mice was established. The analysis of transgenic mouse F2 chromosomal DNA by the Southern hybridization revealed the tandem copy insertion of the MT-1sAg plasmid. The expression of the transgene in liver cells, both with MT-1 promoter induction by Cd++ and without it, has been observed. The decrease in mouse liver cell parts containing viral protein HBsAg was observed as well as a reliable decrease in the share of mice with detectable MT-1sAg expression in the liver during the ontogenesis. The MT-1sAg-transgenic mice may be useful for studying the human chronic HBsAg state.

Animals

Isotype exclusion and transgene down-regulation in immunoglobulin-lambda transgenic mice.

A given B lymphocyte makes an antibody containing either kappa- or lambda-light chains, but not both. This isotype exclusion is effected at the level of the rearrangement of the immunoglobulin gene segments, although by an unknown mechanism. An attractive possibility is that, following productive rearrangement of one of the light-chain loci, the newly synthesized light-chain polypeptide inhibits DNA rearrangement for the other isotype. To test such feedback regulation, we have created transgenic mice carrying a rearranged lambda 1-gene. By contrast with the B cells in normal newborn mice which are mainly kappa+lambda-, the B cells in the newborn transgenic mice express lambda- but not kappa-chains. We propose that the synthesis of any light chain, be it kappa or lambda, that allows expression of IgM on the cell surface results in a cessation of all V-J joining. Interestingly, the limited light-chain repertoire of the transgenic mice does not persist and most adult B cells express endogenous kappa-rearrangements and down-regulate the transgene.

Animals

Expression of TL, H-2, and chimeric H-2/TL genes in transgenic mice: abnormal thymic differentiation and T-cell lymphomas in a TL transgenic strain.

To investigate the genetic regulation of TL expression, 12 transgenic mouse strains on a C3H (TL-nonexpressing) background have been derived: two Tg.Tlaa-3 strains with Tlaa-3 isolated from A-strain TL+ thymocytes, four Tg.T3b strains with T3b from a TL+ leukemia arising in a C57BL/6 (TL-) mouse, three Tg.Con.3 strains with an H-2Kb/T3b chimeric gene (construct 3,5'flanking region and exon 1 of H-2Kb and exons 2-6 of T3b), one Tg.Con.4 strain with a T3b/H-2Kb chimeric gene (construct 4, 5' flanking region and exon 1 of T3b and exons 2-8 of H-2Kb), and two Tg.H-2Kb strains with H-2Kb. Expression of the transgenes was determined by the presence of TL or H-2Kb products or transcripts. Both Tg.Tlaa-3 strains expressed high levels of TL antigen in thymus, indicating that (i) the 9.6-kilobase Tlaa-3 DNA fragment contains sufficient information for correct tissue-specific expression in thymocytes and (ii) TL- thymocytes of C3H provide conditions for the transcriptional activation of Tlaa-3. In contrast, neither the four Tg.T3b strains nor the Tg.Con.4 strain expressed transgenes, indicating that (i) T3b lacks elements necessary for TL expression in normal thymocytes and (ii) the corresponding endogenous TL genes of C3H mice also lack these elements. The pattern of TL expression in two of the three Tg.Con.3 strains was similar to that of H-2Kb expression, indicating that transcription of this H-2Kb/T3b chimeric gene was driven by the regulatory sequences of H-2Kb. The thymuses of mice derived from the Tg.Tlaa-3-1 strain were smaller than C3H thymuses, and the surface phenotype of Tg.Tlaa-3-1 thymocytes resembled thymocyte precursors (TL+L3T4-Lyt-2-Thy-1+H-2+). These mice developed a high incidence of lymphomas with the same thymocyte precursor phenotype. The study of TL transgenic strains should prove useful in defining the role of TL in normal and abnormal T-cell differentiation.

Animals

A salivary amylase transgene is efficiently expressed in liver but not in parotid gland of transgenic mice.

Two distinct mouse amylase cDNAs, corresponding to the genes Amy-1.1 and Amy-1.2, have been isolated from a YBR/Ki parotid cDNA library. A cosmid clone containing the intact Amy-1.1 gene from strain YBR/Ki, including both the parotid and liver promoters, was transferred to the germ line of C57BL/6J mice. Two independent transgenic lines were produced. The transferred genes are organized as a 4-copy autosomal locus in line Tg518 and an 8-copy Y-linked locus in line Tg2736. Serum of both transgenic lines contained high levels of the AMY1B isozyme encoded by the transferred gene. Transcripts were detected in liver and, at a lower level, in several other tissues including white and brown fat. The anticipated expression in parotid was not observed. Constructs containing 270 or 540 bp of the 5' flanking region of the parotid promoter, cloned upstream of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) structural gene, were also not expressed in transgenic mice. The results suggest that sequences located more than 5 kb upstream of the Amy-1 parotid promoter and/or more than 10 kb downstream from the structural gene are required for parotid-specific expression. The results also demonstrate that non-parotid sources can produce a normal level of AMY1 in serum. Liver is the probable source of AMY1 in serum of these transgenic mice.

Amylases

Lymphomagenesis in Emu-myc transgenic mice does not require transgene rearrangement or mutation of myc exon 1.

In most human Burkitt's lymphomas, translocation of the myc oncogene to an immunoglobulin locus is associated with loss of myc exon 1 or with mutations near its 3' border, a region where myc transcription is attenuated and translation of a larger myc polypeptide initiates. Emu-myc transgenic mice, which bear the three myc exons coupled to an immunoglobulin enhancer, provide a model for the development of such lymphomas, because their lymphomagenesis appears to require events other than expression of the transgene. To determine whether myc rearrangement or exon 1 mutation is a necessary tumorigenic event, we examined the transgene structure and myc exon 1 sequences in Emu-myc B lymphoid tumours. Southern blots revealed no transgene rearrangements in 20 of the lymphomas, and only two tumours showed amplification (2 to 5-fold). To search for exon 1 alterations, the exon 1 mRNA region was amplified from five tumours by polymerase chain reaction and sequenced, but no mutations were found. Hence, neither excision nor mutation of exon 1 is necessary to render myc tumorigenic. The sequence analysis across the exon 1-exon 2 boundary unexpectedly revealed an ambiguity in myc splicing that predicts a variant form of the larger myc polypeptide lacking a single amino acid residue.

Amino Acid Sequence

Induced reciprocal translocation in transgenic mice near sites of transgene integration.

Transgenic mice (JCP0 #18), heterozygous for an insertion of approximately 50 copies of the rat peripheral myelin (P0) protein cDNA, displayed a pattern of reduced litter size that suggested a chromosome rearrangement. Chromosome banding studies of fetal cells disclosed the presence of an apparently balanced translocation between a Chromosome (Chr) 1 and 14 with breakpoints at bands 1H3 and 14C3. In situ hybridization of biotin-labeled P0 rat cDNA probe to chromosome spreads and detection of specific signal with fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated avidin revealed a strong signal on the 1(14) translocation chromosome at the site of the breakpoint. A weaker signal was present near the breakpoint on the 14(1) derivative chromosome. These results suggest an etiologic relationship between the insertion of the transgene and the origin of the translocation. To further elucidate possible mechanisms, we first mapped the endogenous P0 gene (gene symbol Mpp). As previously reported (You et al., Genomics 9: 751, 1991), we found that Mpp is located on Chr 1 in the region of the translocation breakpoint in JCP0 mice. Subsequently, we have carried out pulsed-field gel and standard Southern analyses with P0 gene probes, but found no evidence for a direct involvement of the endogenous P0 gene in the process that generated the balanced reciprocal translocation. Thus, we favor the hypothesis that, during repair of DNA strand breakage--possibly induced by the microinjection procedure--the transgene copies were ligated to broken ends of Chrs 1 and 14. According to convention, this translocation is designated T(1;14)1Po. Homozygotes are phenotypically normal and breed well; they will be useful for genetic and physical mapping of Chrs 1 and 14.

Animals