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Crombie EM, Korecki AJ, Cleverley K, Adair BA, Cunningham TJ, Lee WC, Lengyell TC, Maduro C, Mo V, Slade LM, Zouhair I, Fisher EMC, Simpson EM. Taf1 knockout is lethal in embryonic male mice and heterozygous females show weight and movement disorders. Dis Model Mech 2024; 17:dmm050741. [PMID: 38804708 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.050741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
The TATA box-binding protein-associated factor 1 (TAF1) is a ubiquitously expressed protein and the largest subunit of the basal transcription factor TFIID, which plays a key role in initiation of RNA polymerase II-dependent transcription. TAF1 missense variants in human males cause X-linked intellectual disability, a neurodevelopmental disorder, and TAF1 is dysregulated in X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism, a neurodegenerative disorder. However, this field has lacked a genetic mouse model of TAF1 disease to explore its mechanism in mammals and treatments. Here, we generated and validated a conditional cre-lox allele and the first ubiquitous Taf1 knockout mouse. We discovered that Taf1 deletion in male mice was embryonically lethal, which may explain why no null variants have been identified in humans. In the brains of Taf1 heterozygous female mice, no differences were found in gross structure, overall expression and protein localisation, suggesting extreme skewed X inactivation towards the non-mutant chromosome. Nevertheless, these female mice exhibited a significant increase in weight, weight with age, and reduced movement, suggesting that a small subset of neurons was negatively impacted by Taf1 loss. Finally, this new mouse model may be a future platform for the development of TAF1 disease therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa M Crombie
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Andrea J Korecki
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Karen Cleverley
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Bethany A Adair
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | | | - Weaverly Colleen Lee
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Tess C Lengyell
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Cheryl Maduro
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Victor Mo
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Liam M Slade
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Ines Zouhair
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Elizabeth M C Fisher
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Elizabeth M Simpson
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 1Z3, Canada
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Buch T, Jerchow B, Zevnik B. Practical Application of the 3Rs in Rodent Transgenesis. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2631:33-51. [PMID: 36995663 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2990-1_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
The principles of the 3Rs (replace, reduce, refine), as originally published by Russell and Burch, are internationally acclaimed guidelines for meeting ethical and welfare standards in animal experimentation. Genome manipulation is a standard technique in biomedical research and beyond. The goal of this chapter is to give practical advice on the implementation of the 3Rs in laboratories generating genetically modified rodents. We cover 3R aspects from the planning phase through operations of the transgenic unit to the final genome-manipulated animals. The focus of our chapter is on an easy-to-use, concise protocol that is close to a checklist. While we focus on mice, the proposed methodological concepts can be easily adapted for the manipulation of other sentient animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thorsten Buch
- Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Boris Jerchow
- Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research (NIBR), Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Branko Zevnik
- In vivo Research Facility, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
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3R measures in facilities for the production of genetically modified rodents. Lab Anim (NY) 2022; 51:162-177. [PMID: 35641635 DOI: 10.1038/s41684-022-00978-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Sociocultural changes in the human-animal relationship have led to increasing demands for animal welfare in biomedical research. The 3R concept is the basis for bringing this demand into practice: Replace animal experiments with alternatives where possible, Reduce the number of animals used to a scientifically justified minimum and Refine the procedure to minimize animal harm. The generation of gene-modified sentient animals such as mice and rats involves many steps that include various forms of manipulation. So far, no coherent analysis of the application of the 3Rs to gene manipulation has been performed. Here we provide guidelines from the Committee on Genetics and Breeding of Laboratory Animals of the German Society for Laboratory Animal Science to implement the 3Rs in every step during the generation of genetically modified animals. We provide recommendations for applying the 3Rs as well as success/intervention parameters for each step of the process, from experiment planning to choice of technology, harm-benefit analysis, husbandry conditions, management of genetically modified lines and actual procedures. We also discuss future challenges for animal welfare in the context of developing technologies. Taken together, we expect that our comprehensive analysis and our recommendations for the appropriate implementation of the 3Rs to technologies for genetic modifications of rodents will benefit scientists from a wide range of disciplines and will help to improve the welfare of a large number of laboratory animals worldwide.
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Wefers B, Panda SK, Ortiz O, Brandl C, Hensler S, Hansen J, Wurst W, Kühn R. Generation of targeted mouse mutants by embryo microinjection of TALEN mRNA. Nat Protoc 2013; 8:2355-79. [PMID: 24177293 DOI: 10.1038/nprot.2013.142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Genetically engineered mice are instrumental for the analysis of mammalian gene function in health and disease. As classical gene targeting, which is performed in embryonic stem (ES) cell cultures and generates chimeric mice, is a time-consuming and labor-intensive procedure, we recently used transcription activator-like (TAL) effector nucleases (TALENs) for mutagenesis of the mouse genome directly in one-cell embryos. Here we describe a stepwise protocol for the generation of knock-in and knockout mice, including the selection of TALEN-binding sites, the design and construction of TALEN coding regions and of mutagenic oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) and targeting vectors, mRNA production, embryo microinjection and the identification of modified alleles in founder mutants and their progeny. After a setup time of 2-3 weeks of hands-on work for TALEN construction, investigators can obtain first founder mutants for genes of choice within 7 weeks after embryo microinjections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedikt Wefers
- Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Munich, Germany
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Direct production of mouse disease models by embryo microinjection of TALENs and oligodeoxynucleotides. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:3782-7. [PMID: 23426636 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1218721110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The study of genetic disease mechanisms relies mostly on targeted mouse mutants that are derived from engineered embryonic stem (ES) cells. Nevertheless, the establishment of mutant ES cells is laborious and time-consuming, restricting the study of the increasing number of human disease mutations discovered by high-throughput genomic analysis. Here, we present an advanced approach for the production of mouse disease models by microinjection of transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) and synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides into one-cell embryos. Within 2 d of embryo injection, we created and corrected chocolate missense mutations in the small GTPase RAB38; a regulator of intracellular vesicle trafficking and phenotypic model of Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome. Because ES cell cultures and targeting vectors are not required, this technology enables instant germline modifications, making heterozygous mutants available within 18 wk. The key features of direct mutagenesis by TALENs and oligodeoxynucleotides, minimal effort and high speed, catalyze the generation of future in vivo models for the study of human disease mechanisms and interventions.
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