Managing a transgenic mouse colony: A guide for the novice

Abstract

Although the mouse has long been an important model organism for experimental biology, mouse models have played only a minor role in basic cardiovascular research for most of the 21st century. However, since the late 1980s the use of mouse models in cardiovascular research has expanded tremendously mainly due to the development of murine transgenic technology. Although genetic models in larger animals, such as rabbits, have significant physiological and anatomical advantages over the mouse in cardiovascular research, the greater difficulty in genetically modifying them, and the significantly greater expense in maintaining their breeding colonies, has slowed their use as genetic models. Moreover, many transgenic mice suitable for cardiovascular research are already available through commercial sources or through collaborative arrangement. Consequently, it is often possible for an investigator to obtain a suitable transgenic mouse model for his/her research program without creating it from scratch. In addition, programs are currently underway to identify mutant mice resulting from chemical mutagenesis (Brown and Hardisty 2003). The mutagenesis programs are likely to significantly increase the number of murine models with cardiovascular phenotypes that are available. Thus, for the foreseeable future, it is likely that the use of mutant mice in cardiovascular research will continue to increase and that additional researchers will begin to use murine models for at least a proportion of their research endeavors. This chapter is intended as a guide for individuals who have no practical experience in mouse animal husbandry and are contemplating obtaining established transgenic mouse models for their research programs. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005.