Introduction of genes into preimplantation mouse embryos by use of a defective recombinant retrovirus

Assisted Reproductive Techniques and Genetic Manipulation in the Common Marmoset

Genetic modification of nonhuman primate (NHP) zygotes is a useful method for the development of NHP models of human diseases. This review summarizes the recent advances in the development of assisted reproductive and genetic manipulation techniques in NHP, providing the basis for the generation of genetically modified NHP disease models. In this study, we review assisted reproductive techniques, including ovarian stimulation, in vitro maturation of oocytes, in vitro fertilization, embryo culture, embryo transfer, and intracytoplasmic sperm injection protocols in marmosets. Furthermore, we review genetic manipulation techniques, including transgenic strategies, target gene knock-out and knock-in using gene editing protocols, and newly developed gene-editing approaches that may potentially impact the production of genetically manipulated NHP models. We further discuss the progress of assisted reproductive and genetic manipulation techniques in NHP; future prospects on genetically modified NHP models for biomedical research are also highlighted.

Making recombinant proteins in animals--different systems, different applications

Transgenic animal bioreactors represent a powerful tool to address the growing need for therapeutic recombinant proteins. The ability of transgenic animals to produce complex, biologically active recombinant proteins in an efficient and economic manner has stimulated a great deal of interest in this area. As a result, genetically modified animals of several species, expressing foreign proteins in various tissues, are currently being developed. However, the generation of transgenic animals is a cumbersome process and remains problematic in the application of this technology. The advantages and disadvantages of different transgenic systems in relation to other bioreactor systems are discussed.

Transgenesis by adenovirus-mediated gene transfer into mouse zona-free eggs

Zona-free mouse eggs at the pronucleus stage were infected with a replication-defective adenovirus vector containing a nuclear-targeted lacZ gene. Exogenous beta-galactosidase activity was detected in almost all eggs at the two-cell stage. Of 27 mice that developed from infected eggs, three carried the integrated exogenous gene mediated by the adenovirus. Two of the three expressed the lacZ gene, and all three mice transmitted the adenovirus-mediated transgene to F1 progeny Southern blot analysis was consistent with single copy integration. This finding should accelerate the development of new strategies for transgenesis and assist studies on the function of cloned genes in vivo.

Gene transfer and expression in mouse preimplantation embryos by recombinant adenovirus vector

Replication-defective recombinant adenovirus, Adex4SRLacZL, was used as a vector for transferring exogenous genes in mouse zona pellucida-free eggs at the pronuclear stage. The vector contained the E. coli LacZ reporter gene under the control of the SR alpha promoter (SV40 early promoter-fused HTLV-I LTR), and the expression of the reporter gene was examined during preimplantation development in culture. Histochemical staining of the embryos for beta-galactosidase activity showed that the exogenous LacZ gene as expressed in 98% of the embryos at the morula-blastocyst stages. As in the microinjection method, the exogenous genes could be pursued from the 2-cell stage. Neither apparent morphological changes nor cytotoxic effects were observed. Both the percentages of embryos expressing reporter genes and the rate of development to the blastocyst stage were higher in the adenovirus vector-treated embryos than in the microinjected ones. These results suggest that the adenovirus vector system is a useful tool in investigating the genetic control of early mammalian development.

Germline transmission of exogenous genes in chickens using helper-free ecotropic avian leukosis virus-based vectors

We have used vectors derived from avian leukosis viruses to transduce exogenous genes into early somatic stem cells of chicken embryos. The ecotropic helper cell line, Isolde, was used to generate stocks of NL-B vector carrying the Neo(r) selectable marker and the Escherichia coli lacZ gene. Microinjection of the NL-B vector directly beneath unincubated chicken embryo blastoderms resulted in infection of germline stem cells. One of the 16 male birds hatched (6.25%) from the injected embryos contained vector DNA sequences in its semen. Vector sequences were transmitted to G1 progeny at a frequency of 2.7%. Neo(r) and lacZ genes were transcribed in vitro in chicken embryo fibroblast cultures from transgenic embryos of the G2 progeny.

Efficient production of transgenic cattle by retroviral infection of early embryos

Production of transgenic cattle by microinjection of DNA has been difficult and costly. To explore an alternative method, one- to four-cell bovine embryos were exposed to a replication-defective retrovirus by microinjection of retrovirus producer cells into the perivitelline space. Embryos were cultured in vitro for 3-4 days, then transferred to recipient cows for further development. Thirteen of 22 embryos recovered at 15 days gestation and each of four fetuses recovered at 90 days gestation were transgenic. Fetuses harbored between 2 and 12 proviruses, and within each fetus, identical patterns of integration were observed in seven tissues tested. Estimates of the number of proviruses per cell suggested that in three of the four fetuses, most, and possibly all, cells were transgenic. This technique should facilitate application of transgenic technology to cattle and other agriculturally important species.

Gene transfer in bovine blastocysts using replication-defective retroviral vectors packaged with Gibbon ape leukemia virus envelopes

With this work we demonstrate that murine leukemia virus (MLV)-based replication-defective retroviral vectors encapsidated with Gibbon ape leukemia virus (GaLV) envelopes are significantly more infectious to bovine embryonic trachea (EBTr) cells than vectors encapsidated with murine xenotropic envelope proteins. In a test of internal promoter activity in an MLV retroviral vector, the rat beta-actin promoter was shown to be better than the herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase (TK) and human cytomegalovirus (CMV) immediate early promoters for the expression of an E. coli beta-galactosidase marker gene in bovine target cells. By co-culture of bovine blastocysts and virus-producing cells, or by culture of embryos in the medium harvested from virus-producing cells, we transferred the E. coli beta-galactosidase gene into trophoblasts and also into inner cell mass (ICM) cells of a bovine embryo through the infection of the MLV-based replication-defective retroviruses encapsidated with GaLV envelope proteins. The infection was confirmed by the expression of the E. coli beta-galactosidase gene under a beta-actin internal promoter. In addition, co-culture of ICM cells with virus-producing cells resulted in differentiation of ICM cells into embryoid bodies expressing the marker genes.

Transgenesis in fish

Gene transfer into fish embryo is being performed in several species (trout, salmon, carps, tilapia, medaka, goldfish, zebrafish, loach, catfish, etc.). In most cases, pronuclei are not visible and microinjection must be done into the cytoplasm of early embryos. Several million copies of the gene are generally injected. In medaka, transgenesis was attempted by injection of the foreign gene into the nucleus of oocyte. Several reports indicate that the injected DNA was rapidly replicated in the early phase of embryo development, regardless of the origin and the sequence of the foreign DNA. The survival of the injected embryos was reasonably good and a large number reached maturity. The proportion of transgenic animals ranged from 1 to 50% or more, according to species and to experimentators. The reasons for this discrepancy have not been elucidated. In all species, the transgenic animals were mosaic. The copy number of the foreign DNA was different in the various tissues of an animal and a proportion lower than 50% of F1 offsprings received the gene from their parents. This suggests that the foreign DNA was integrated into the fish genome at the two cells stage or later. An examination of the integrated DNA in different cell types of an animal revealed that integration occurred mainly during early development. The transgene was found essentially unrearranged in the fish genome of the founders and offsprings. The transgenes were therefore stably transmitted to progeny in a Mendelian fashion. Southern blot analysis revealed the presence of possible junction fragments and also of minor bands which may result from a rearrangement of the injected DNA. In all species, the integrated DNA appeared mainly as random end-to-end concatemers. In adult trout blood cells, a small proportion of the foreign DNA was maintained in the form of non-integrated concatemers, as judged by the existence of end fragments. The transgenes were generally only poorly expressed. The majority of the injected gene constructs contained essentially mammalian or higher vertebrates sequences. The comparison of the expression efficiency of these constructs in transfected fish and mammalian cells indicates that some of the mammalian DNA sequences are most efficiently understood by the fish cell machinery. Chloramphenicol acetyl transferase gene under the control of promoters from Rous sarcoma virus, and human cytomegalovirus, was expressed in several tissues of transgenic fish. Chicken delta-crystallin gene was expressed in several tissues of transgenic fish.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Transfer of a mutant dihydrofolate reductase gene into pre- and postimplantation mouse embryos by a replication-competent retrovirus vector

In order to explore the potential of retrovirus vectors for efficiently transferring foreign genes into mouse embryos, a replication-competent recombinant Moloney murine leukemia virus (Mo-MLV) vector carrying a mutant dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) cDNA insert in the U3 region of the viral long terminal repeat was used to infect pre- and postimplantation embryos. When preimplantation mouse embryos were infected with the vector, as expected, the provirus integrated into the embryos and the germ line with the same efficiency as that observed with wild-type Mo-MLV, leading to inactivation of the recombinant virus. In contrast, when postimplantation mouse embryos were microinjected with virus-producing cells, between 90 to 100% of the surviving animals proved to be infected with the virus. The recombinant virus spread as efficiently as wild-type Mo-MLV in the infected embryos, resulting in up to three to five proviral copies per genome in heart, thymus, and brain tissues. Substantial expression of mutant DHFR*-coding viral message was found in all somatic tissues analyzed, the amounts correlating with the proviral copy number in the respective organ. These results suggest that replication-competent vectors are useful for efficient transfer and expression of foreign genes into tissues or whole animals when virus spread is needed.

Expression of human adenosine deaminase in murine hematopoietic cells

Multiple replication-defective retrovirus vectors were tested for their ability to transfer and express human adenosine deaminase in vitro and in vivo in a mouse bone marrow transplantation model. High-titer virus production was obtained from vectors by using both a retrovirus long terminal repeat promoter and internal transcriptional units with human c-fos and herpes virus thymidine kinase promoters. After infection of primary murine bone marrow with one of these vectors, human adenosine deaminase was detected in 60 to 85% of spleen colony-forming units and in the blood of 14 of 14 syngeneic marrow transplant recipients. This system offers the opportunity to assess methods for increasing efficiency of gene transfer, for regulation of expression of foreign genes in hematopoietic progenitors, and for long-term measurement of the stability of expression in these cells.

Expression of human adenosine deaminase in murine hematopoietic cells

Multiple replication-defective retrovirus vectors were tested for their ability to transfer and express human adenosine deaminase in vitro and in vivo in a mouse bone marrow transplantation model. High-titer virus production was obtained from vectors by using both a retrovirus long terminal repeat promoter and internal transcriptional units with human c-fos and herpes virus thymidine kinase promoters. After infection of primary murine bone marrow with one of these vectors, human adenosine deaminase was detected in 60 to 85% of spleen colony-forming units and in the blood of 14 of 14 syngeneic marrow transplant recipients. This system offers the opportunity to assess methods for increasing efficiency of gene transfer, for regulation of expression of foreign genes in hematopoietic progenitors, and for long-term measurement of the stability of expression in these cells.

Inoculation of newborn SWR/J females with an ecotropic murine leukemia virus can produce transgenic mice

Endogenous ecotropic murine leukemia proviruses that were not present in the parental stock are acquired by the progeny of some SWR/J X RF/J hybrid females. We have made a stock of an ecotropic murine leukemia virus produced by such a hybrid female and inoculated newborn SWR/J females with it. We show that upon crossing of the inoculated females to SWR/J males, some of their progeny acquire ecotropic proviruses. Although most of these proviruses appear to be distributed in somatic tissues in a mosaic way, some are transmitted through the germ line. Thus an exogenous infection is able to mimic the phenomenon observed in SWR/J X RF/J hybrid mice. Available evidence suggests that this infection occurs during oogenesis in the recipient female. Our results document the conversion of an exogenous infectious ecotropic murine leukemia virus to an endogenous provirus without any manipulation of either eggs or embryos.

Rous sarcoma virus is integrated but not expressed in chicken early embryonic cells

We have developed a protocol that allows us to infect chicken early embryonic (CEE) cells with high efficiency. This was achieved by exposing the CEE cells to a semicontinuous dose of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) for a period of 20 hr. Southern blot analysis indicated that an average of one proviral copy is integrated per embryonic cell. However, there was no production of infectious viral particles by the cells containing the proviral genome, although low levels of full-length genomic RNA could be detected by RNA transfer blot analysis. These low RNA levels contrast with the 100- to 1000-fold higher levels found in RSV-infected chicken embryo fibroblasts. We conclude that in cells derived from pregastrulating chicken embryos, RSV DNA is integrated into the cell genome but fails to be expressed in an efficient manner. These primary cells can therefore be used to identify factors involved in regulation of retroviral gene expression in normal cells. Such factors may also be instrumental in elucidating basic mechanisms involved in gene regulation during early development in higher vertebrates.

Construction of a defective retrovirus containing the human hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase cDNA and its expression in cultured cells and mouse bone marrow

Defective ecotropic and amphotropic retroviral vectors containing the cDNA for human hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) were developed for efficient gene transfer and high-level cellular expression of HPRT. Helper cell clones which produced a high viral titer were generated by a simplified method which minimizes cell culture. We used the pZIP-NeoSV(X) vector containing a human hprt cDNA. Viral titers (1 X 10(3) to 5 X 10(4)/ml) of defective SVX HPRT B, a vector containing both the hprt and neo genes, were increased 3- to 10-fold by cocultivation of the ecotropic psi 2 and amphotropic PA-12 helper cells. Higher viral titers (8 X 10(5) to 7.5 X 10(6] were obtained when nonproducer NIH 3T3 cells or psi 2 cells carrying a single copy of SVX HPRT B were either transfected or infected by Moloney leukemia virus. The SVX HPRT B defective virus partially corrected the HPRT deficiency (4 to 56% of normal) of cultured rodent and human Lesch-Nyhan cells. However, instability of HPRT expression was detected in several infected clones. In these unstable variants, both retention and loss of the SVX HPRT B sequences were observed. In the former category, cells which became HPRT- (6-thioguanine resistant [6TGr]) also became G418s, indicative of a cis-acting down regulation of expression. Both hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine resistance (HATr) and G418r could be regained by counterselection in hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine. In vitro mouse bone marrow experiments indicated low-level expression of the neo gene in in vitro CFU assays. Individual CFU were isolated and pooled, and the human hprt gene was shown to be expressed. These studies demonstrated the applicability of vectors like SVX HPRT B for high-titer production of defective retroviruses required for hematopoietic gene transfer and expression.

Construction of a defective retrovirus containing the human hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase cDNA and its expression in cultured cells and mouse bone marrow

Defective ecotropic and amphotropic retroviral vectors containing the cDNA for human hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) were developed for efficient gene transfer and high-level cellular expression of HPRT. Helper cell clones which produced a high viral titer were generated by a simplified method which minimizes cell culture. We used the pZIP-NeoSV(X) vector containing a human hprt cDNA. Viral titers (1 X 10(3) to 5 X 10(4)/ml) of defective SVX HPRT B, a vector containing both the hprt and neo genes, were increased 3- to 10-fold by cocultivation of the ecotropic psi 2 and amphotropic PA-12 helper cells. Higher viral titers (8 X 10(5) to 7.5 X 10(6] were obtained when nonproducer NIH 3T3 cells or psi 2 cells carrying a single copy of SVX HPRT B were either transfected or infected by Moloney leukemia virus. The SVX HPRT B defective virus partially corrected the HPRT deficiency (4 to 56% of normal) of cultured rodent and human Lesch-Nyhan cells. However, instability of HPRT expression was detected in several infected clones. In these unstable variants, both retention and loss of the SVX HPRT B sequences were observed. In the former category, cells which became HPRT- (6-thioguanine resistant [6TGr]) also became G418s, indicative of a cis-acting down regulation of expression. Both hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine resistance (HATr) and G418r could be regained by counterselection in hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine. In vitro mouse bone marrow experiments indicated low-level expression of the neo gene in in vitro CFU assays. Individual CFU were isolated and pooled, and the human hprt gene was shown to be expressed. These studies demonstrated the applicability of vectors like SVX HPRT B for high-titer production of defective retroviruses required for hematopoietic gene transfer and expression.

Tissue-specific and ectopic expression of genes introduced into transgenic mice by retroviruses

Recombinant retroviruses containing the complete genomic human beta globin gene (under the control of its own promoter) and the bacterial neomycin phosphotransferase gene (under the control of the normal or enhancerless viral promoter) were used to derive transgenic mouse strains by infection of preimplantation embryos. Expression of the beta globin gene in hematopoietic tissues was observed in all transgenic strains. In addition, one strain showed ectopic expression of beta globin in the same tissues that also expressed high levels of RNA from the viral promoter. It is likely that expression from the long terminal repeat (LTR), in contrast to expression from the internal promoter, is dependent on the site of integration. Thus, retroviral vectors can be used for tissue-specific expression of foreign genes in transgenic mice, as well as for the identification of loci that allow developmental activation of a provirus.

Transgenesis by means of blastocyst-derived embryonic stem cell lines

This study demonstrates that blastocyst-derived embryonic stem cells (ES cells) can be used as a vehicle for transgenesis. The method is nearly as efficient as other methods, and the introduced neomycin phosphotransferase (neo) gene is stably transmitted through several generations with no apparent loss in G418 resistance. An important factor contributing to the efficiency of this process is the rigorous selection, before blastocyst injection, of genetically transformed cells for in vitro developmental pluripotency. One of the advantages of the ES cell route to transgenesis is that it provides investigators with the opportunity to screen for the desired genetic alterations before reintroducing the ES cells into the animal.