Germline Transmission and Tissue-Specific Expression of Transgenes Delivered by Lentiviral Vectors

Single-cell mouse embryos were infected in vitro with recombinant lentiviral vectors to generate transgenic mice carrying the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene driven by a ubiquitously expressing promoter. Eighty percent of founder mice carried at least one copy of the transgene, and 90% of these expressed GFP at high levels. Progeny inherited the transgene(s) and displayed green fluorescence. Mice generated using lentiviral vectors with muscle-specific and T lymphocyte-specific promoters expressed high levels of GFP only in the appropriate cell types. We have also generated transgenic rats that express GFP at high levels, suggesting that this technique can be used to produce other transgenic animal species.