Transgenesis by lentiviral vectors: lack of gene silencing in mammalian embryonic stem cells and preimplantation embryos.

ABSTRACT: The introduction of foreign genes into early mouse embryos and embryonic stem (ES) cells is invaluable for the analysis of gene function and regulation in the living animal. The use of vectors derived from retroviruses as gene transfer vehicles in this setting has had limited success because of silencing of transgene expression. Here, we show that vectors derived from lentiviruses, which are complex retroviruses, can efficiently deliver genes to murine ES cells and that transgene expression is stable during proliferation of undifferentiated ES cells. The transgene is expressed during differentiation of ES cells in vitro (embryoid bodies) and in vivo (teratomas). Transfer of lentivector-transduced ES cells into blastocysts resulted in chimeric animals that expressed the transgene in multipl

SUBMITTER: Pfeifer A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC122332 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature