Transgenic Mouse or Rat (random integration)

Create your Transgenic Mouse or Rat in four easy steps:

  1. Construction of a transgenic vector containing a suitable promoter, a genomic clone or DNA and intron fragment, and polyadenylation addition sequences.
  2. Isolation of the transgenic fragment from prokaryotic vector/backbone sequences (digest brought to GEAM)
  3. Purification of the transgene for microinjection (provided as a service within GEAM)
  4. Microinjection of the transgene into the pronuclei of fertilized ova to generate mice/rats containing random copies of that transgene in their genome

Please contact Kathy Krentz (kjkrentz@wisc.edu) to schedule an initial meeting.

1. Guidelines for Transgene Vector Design

These common transgene features are often incorporated into the transgene vector.  Vectors are available commercially.
a. promoter with a known cellular expression profile
b. gene or coding sequence of choice
c. a fragment containing polyadenylation signal
d. well characterized restriction sites that will allow the isolation of the transgenic fragment from plasmid backbone.

2. Purification of Transgene for Microinjection

Highly purified DNA is essential for successful transgenic production. Our facility will purify your digested DNA. Bring 30-50 µg digested DNA (150-200ul) to our lab with a gel picture clearly indicating which band we need to purify.

GEAM also has experience microinjecting BAC and PAC DNA. However, isolation methods are different.
Please contact us for the latest isolation procedure.

3. Microinjection of DNA into Oocytes

GEAM routinely microinjects transgenes into the pronucleus of C57BL/6J one-cell mouse embryos or Sprague Dawley rat embryos. GEAM has experience using other mouse strains such as FVB, NOD, NOD/Shiltj, ICR/HaJ, 129S1, and Btbr and rat strains F344, ACI, Lewis. Transgenics can be made in these strains but investigators must purchase the wild-type animals for embryo production. Other strains will also be considered.

Following the microinjections, the embryos are transferred into pseudopregnant recipients and pups born. At weaning, animals are ear-tagged and samples taken. Investigators are provided with tail DNA samples from each potential founder. The investigator must provide a copy of the genotyping results to the GEAM staff. The GEAM then will breed up to two founders when they reach breeding age to wild-type mates to produce one F 1 litter from each founder. The founder and litter are transferred to the investigator when the progeny are three weeks old. Any remaining founders will be shipped without breeding to the investigator.

ANIMAL AND EMBRYO SERVICES UW PRICE EXTERNAL PRICE
Microinjection of transgenes into C57BL/6J embryos $2810 please inquire
Microinjection of transgenes into Sprague Dawley rat embryos $3250 please inquire

AM offers the production of transgenics in other mouse and rat strains.  Please contact us for further information.