Editor's Summary
28 May 2009
Biomedical supermodel: germline transmission in a transgenic non-human primate
A non-human primate model amenable to gene manipulation with transgenic technologies would be invaluable for biomedical research into disease mechanisms and for developing therapies in gene therapy and regenerative medicine. An Article published in this issue describes such a model. A team from seven Japanese institutions has generated transgenic nonhuman primates — common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) — in which the integrated transgene is transmitted through the germline and expressed in the offspring. The work involved an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) transgene, introduced into ten embryos. Four out of five transgenic marmosets expressed EGFP in neonatal tissues; the fifth expressed it in the placenta. Two showed transgene expression in the germ cells, and one fathered a healthy transgenic neonate.
Editorial: Time to connect
Researchers who use genetically modified primates need to gear up for the inevitable public debate.
doi:10.1038/459483a
News: Marmoset model takes centre stage
Newly created transgenic primate may become an alternative disease model to rhesus macaques.
David Cyranoski
doi:10.1038/459492a
News and Views: Developmental biology: Transgenic primate offspring
Genetically engineered monkeys carrying a foreign gene that is passed on to their offspring provide a potentially valuable bridge between mouse models of disease and treatment for human disorders.
Gerald Schatten & Shoukhrat Mitalipov
doi:10.1038/459515a
Article: Generation of transgenic non-human primates with germline transmission
Erika Sasaki, Hiroshi Suemizu, Akiko Shimada, Kisaburo Hanazawa, Ryo Oiwa, Michiko Kamioka, Ikuo Tomioka, Yusuke Sotomaru, Reiko Hirakawa, Tomoo Eto, Seiji Shiozawa, Takuji Maeda, Mamoru Ito, Ryoji Ito, Chika Kito, Chie Yagihashi, Kenji Kawai, Hiroyuki Miyoshi, Yoshikuni Tanioka, Norikazu Tamaoki, Sonoko Habu, Hideyuki Okano & Tatsuji Nomura
doi:10.1038/nature08090
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (850K) | Supplementary information
