Transmission and Reproduction of Transgenic Mice Expressing Human Growth Hormone Gene

사람 성장호르몬 유전자를 발현하는 형질전환 생쥐의 번식성 및 형질유전

The transgenic mice were produced by microinjection of human growth hormone gene fused with mouse metallothionein Ⅰ promoter. They were mated with momal mice by backcross or brother-sister mating. The reproduction efficiencies of female and male n the FO transgenic mice were 17.6%(3/17 mice) and 31.2%(5/16 mice), respectively, and were very lower than that in normal mice(85.7% and 100%, respectively). Interestingly, a few of female transgenic mice were fertile which was different from the previous reports. Of 6 fertile transgenic mice, 2 mice were identified as mosaic type by the reduced frequency of genetic transmission to successive generation below Mendelian levle and the enhanced copy numbers of transgene in progeny mice compared with the transgenic parent. In the group of F1, F2, F3 transgenic mice the reproduction efficiencies of males were gradually improved, whereas females were absolutely infertile. It was consequently shown that the transgenic mice expressing human growth hormone gene were frequently infertile, but the genotypic and phenotypic characteristics of the fertile transgenic mice were normally passed on to the progeny through herm line. Therefore it must be considered wheter or not the products of foreign DNA introduced into animals will detrimentally affect their physiological aspects.