Genetic modification of animals expanded

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- U.S. geneticists have demonstrated a new strategy for genetically modifying large animals.

The researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine said the method employs a harmless gene therapy virus that transfers a genetic modification to male reproductive cells, which is passed naturally to offspring.

The study was led by Associate Professor Ina Dobrinski, director of the school's Center for Animal Transgenesis and Germ Cell Research. She and her colleagues introduced adeno-associated virus, or AAV, to male germline stem cells in both goats and mice.

The study showed AAV stably transduced male germ line stem cells and led to transgene transmission through the male germ line.

The study is believed the first report of transgenesis via germ cell transplantation in a non-rodent species and also demonstrates germline transduction and germ cell transplantation in large animals provides an approach that's potentially less costly than microinjection and cloning, the traditional methods used to generate transgenic large animal models for biomedical research.

The study is reported online in The FASEB Journal and is to appear in the journal's February print edition.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International

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