Abstract
Transgenic mice carrying a chimaeric transgene containing 730 bp of the 5′-flanking sequences and the entire first intron of the rat α-skeletal actin gene fused to thelacZ reporter gene have been produced by microinjection. ThelacZ reporter gene was used to verify the suitability of using the rat α-actin promoter elements to target expression of genes of agricultural and therapeutic value exclusively to skeletal and heart muscle cells and fibres of transgenic mice. Expression of the transgene indicates a tightly regulated developmental and muscle specific control of the rat α-skeletal actin gene, making it a useful promoter for gene targeting to muscle tissues. The cells destined to form muscle tissues in these transgenic mice are readily visualized in intact embryos by staining for β-galactosidase activity, making them a suitable animal model for studying the origin and development of skeletal and cardiac muscle tissues.
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Asante, E.A., Boswell, J.M., Burt, D.W. et al. Tissue specific expression of an α-skeletal actin-lacZ fusion gene during development in transgenic mice. Transgenic Research 3, 59–66 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01976028
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01976028