Dramatic growth of mice that develop from eggs microinjected with metallothionein-growth hormone fusion genes

Richard D. Palmiter, Ralph L. Brinster, Robert E Hammer, Myrna E. Trumbauer, Michael G. Rosenfeld, Neal C. Birnberg, Ronald M. Evans

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

922 Scopus citations

Abstract

A DNA fragment containing the promoter of the mouse metallothionein-I gene fused to the structural gene of rat growth hormone was microinjected into the pronuclei of fertilized mouse eggs. Of 21 mice that developed from these eggs, seven carried the fusion gene and six of these grew significantly larger than their littermates. Several of these transgenic mice had extraordinarily high levels of the fusion mRNA in their liver and growth hormone in their serum. This approach has implications for studying the biological effects of growth hormone, as a way to accelerate animal growth, as a model for gigantism, as a means of correcting genetic disease, and as a method of farming valuable gene products.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)611-615
Number of pages5
JournalNature
Volume300
Issue number5893
DOIs
StatePublished - 1982

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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