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Getting genes where we want them

Nature Biotechnology volume 18, pages 928–929 (2000)Cite this article

A new benchmark in transgenic technology was recently achieved with the generation of sheep with a specific transgene targeted at a precise site in the genome1. The ability to carry out site-specific gene manipulation in a large mammal should advance basic studies of the genetics of animal growth and enhance the reproducibility and efficiency of gene modifications designed to improve the meat/milk product or impart specific agronomic traits.

The concept, and accomplishment in vitro, of targeted gene transfer to a specific site by homologous recombination originated some 15 years ago with the publication of pioneering experiments using cultured adult somatic cells2,3. Homologous recombination involves the introduction of a specific foreign gene sequence into a cell, its alignment with the corresponding genomic sequence, and it subsequent integration into the chromosome. This approach allows both the introduction of transgenes into the genome and the disruption/inactivation of endogenous genes (the knockout effect).

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Figure 1: In the unique process described in McGreath et al., a human COL1A1 gene is incorporated into sheep fetal fibroblasts, which are multiplying in culture to large numbers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. adjunct professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, 53706, WI

    Marijo Kent-First

  2. professor at the Department of Animal Science, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1675 Observation Drive, Madison, 53706, WI

    Neal First

Authors
  1. Marijo Kent-First
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  2. Neal First
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Kent-First, M., First, N. Getting genes where we want them. Nat Biotechnol 18, 928–929 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/79391

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