Kirin develops new mice for use in gene studies
A new method for producing mice to be used in gene studies has been developed by Kirin Brewery. The mice have been bred so their cells produce above-normal amounts of certain proteins, allowing for clearer functional analysis of unknown genes.
A new method for producing mice to be used in gene studies has been developed by Kirin Brewery. The mice have been bred so their cells produce above-normal amounts of certain proteins, allowing for clearer functional analysis of unknown genes.
The new process involves selecting a human gene about which functional information is required and incorporating it into mouse embryonic stem cells. When these stem cells are inserted into a fertilised egg and cultured, mice will be born with both the unknown gene and the embryonic stem cells. Mice in which the unknown gene is functional account for half of all litters.
Current technology entails directly introducing the gene to a fertilised egg, is difficult and has a low success rate. Additionally, distinguishing between mice in which the unknown gene is functional and those in which it is not proved difficult. Thus ascertaining the function of a single gene has taken up to two years.
With the new method the success rate is high, and if embryonic stem cells from brown-haired mice are used with fertilised eggs of white mice, offspring in which the unknown gene is functional will be speckled, making identification easy. The function of gene in question can be investigated in three months.