Transgenesis in the rat and larger mammals

Abstract

The use of nonmurine species for transgenesis will continue to reflect the suitability of a particular species for the specific questions being addressed, bearing in mind that a given construct may react very differently from one species to another. The application of transgenesis in the pig should produce major advances in the fields of transfusion and transplantation technology, while alterations in the composition of milk in a range of domesticated animals will have major effects on the production of pharmacologically important proteins and could eventually lead to the development of human milk substitutes. Despite the lack of germline transmission to date, major efforts continue to be directed towards the generation and use of ES cells from nonmurine species, using both traditional and new technologies, and the availability of such cells is likely to accelerate both the use of such species and the precision with which genetic changes can be introduced.