This study was conducted to investigate the effects of donor cell treatments on the production of transgenic cloned piglets. Ear fibroblast cell obtained from NIH MHC Inbred minipig was used as control. The GalT knock-out/CD46 knock-in (GalT/CD46) transgenic cell lines were established and used as donor cells. The reconstructed GalT/CD46 embryos were surgically transferred into oviduct of naturally cycling surrogate sows (Landrace × Yorkshire) on the second day of standing estrus. Unlike control (1.2 kV/cm,, 75.4%), the fusion rate of the GalT/CD46 donor cells was significantly higher in 1.5 kV/cm, (84.5%) than that of 1.25 kV/cm, (20.2%) (p<0.01). When the number of the transferred embryos were more than 129, the pregnancy and delivery rates were increased to 13/20 (65%) and 5/20 (25%) compared to less than 100 group [1/6 (16.7%) and 0/6 (0%)], respectively. To analyze the effect of donor cell culture condition on pregnancy and delivery rates, the GalT/CD46 donor cells were cultured with DMEM or serum reduced medium. In serum reduced medium group, the pregnancy and delivery rates were improved to 8/12 (66.7%) and 5/12 (41.7%) compared to DMEM group [3/7 (42.9%) and 0/7 (0%)], respectively. In conclusion, it can be postulated that an appropriate fusion condition and culture system is essential factors to increase the efficiency of the production of transgenic cloned piglets.

Many thousands of recombinant proteins have been successfully produced in baculovirus - infected insect cells and larvae. In this study, to improve its value and the yield of recombinant protein production, we constructed transgenic silkworm using Heat shock genes with regard to protein folding. This time, we adapted GAL4/UAS system to express at necessary time point and to carry genes for foreign protein. First, we generated two transgenic cells and silkworm lines that carried the silkworm heat shock proteins, UAS-HOP and UAS-HSC70 and UAS-HSP70 and UAS-HSP40 construct plus 3xP3-DsRED. Subsequently, to drive the GAL4 gene as activatorvector, we engineered Baculoviruses that contain the GAL4 under the P10 promoter linked to the expression cassette of interest foreign genes under the polyhedron promoter. Also, activator vector linked to the GAL4 was designed expressing 6xHis and 6xHis–GST tag. Infection of silkworm larvae with recombinant virus, His-tagged human C3d gene was more efficiently produced transgenic silkworm than that of wild-type, but not His-GST tagged. We show the possibilityin use of HSPs transgenic silkworm system by GAL4/ UAS BmNPV that can generate the efficient production of foreign protein.

The impact of transgenic Bt maize plant contained Cry1F was evaluated on the oat aphid Rhopalosiphum padi as a non-target insect species. Slightly reduced rates of survival and alata vivipar production were observed on Bt maize than on the non-Bt maize. In addition, slightly low preference to Bt maize plant was observed. Aphid fecundity, measured as the number of offspring produced for 7 days, was higher on Bt maize than on non-Bt maize but not different significantly. ELISA test using Cry1F-antibody revealed that 26% of Cry1F protein compared to the positive control was detected from the whole body of R. padi when the insects were fed Bt maize for 50 days, showing that R. padi can carry Cry1F protein to the higher trophic level when exposed to Bt maize. Taken together, the Bt maize plant is not likely to cause any negative side impacts on non-target insect R. padi but Bt toxin can be transferred to higher predators via R. padi as it carries the toxin.

Large amounts of genetically modified (GM) grains, including maize, cotton and soybean, have been imported to Korea for food, feed and processing (FFP). To evaluatethe environmental impacts, particularly on non-target insects, of FFP GM grains of unknown source, it is a prerequisite to identify Cry protein types in the test GM grains and to establish proper risk assessment protocols. Imported GM maize grains were randomly obtained and their Cry toxins were analyzed by ELISA using Cry1A, Cry1F, and Cry3A antibodies. Since all tested GM maize grains contained Cry1A, Tenebrio molitor, a non-lepidopteran species, was selected as a non-target insect species. A domestic maize strain was used as a non-GM control, which did not show any differences in major nutritional composition from the GM maize grain. Slightly increased survival rate and head capsule width of T. molitor larvae were observed when reared on GM maize powder, demonstrating no sub-chronic adverse effects of GM maize on T. molitor larvae. Head capsule width of T. molitor neonate increased steadily from hatch to 70-day-old, regardless of being fed Bt or non-Bt maize. ELISA test using Cry1A-antibody revealed that concentration of Cry1A protein slowly increased in the whole body of T. molitor from 0 to 50 post-feeding days when the insects were fed GM maize but rapidly decreased within 5 days when Bt maize-fed larvae were transferred to non-Bt maize, showing that the Cry toxin is not accumulated inside the body of T. molitor once the exposure source is removed. In addition, no Cry protein was detected in the hemolymph of the larvae reared on Bt maize, suggesting little possibility of Cry toxin exposure to higher tropic level. Taken together, the imported GM-maize grains is not likely to cause any side impacts on non-target insect T. molitor.

이 연구는 형질전환 고추로부터 토양 근권 미생물로의 유전자 이동 가능성을 조사하기 위해 수행되었다. 재배중인 오이 모자이크 바이러스 저항성 고추와 대조구의 근권토양으로부터 DNA를 추출한 후 형질전환 고추 도입유전자에 특이적인 프라이머를 사용하여 PCR 분석을 수행하였다. PCR 결과 도입유전자인 NPTII 유전자가 수집된 전 기간의 근권 토양 샘플에서 발견되었다. 발견된 도입유전자가 고추로부터 토양 미생물로의 유전자 이동에 의한 결과인지를 조사하기 위하여 토양 샘플로부터 미생물들을 분리하여 카나마이신이 첨가된 세균 및 진균 배지에 배양하였다. 약 43만개의 세균 코로니와 16만개의 진균 코로니를 조사 한 결과 카나마이신에 저항성을 나타내는 개체는 발견되지 않아 형질전환 고추로부터 근권 미생물로의 유전자이동은 발생하지 않은 것으로 사료되었다.

We report here the production of transgenic chickens that can regulate human erythropoietin (hEPO) gene expression. The glycoprotein hormone hEPO is an essential for viability and growth of the erythrocytic progenitors. Retrovirus vector system used in this study has two features including tetracycline-controllable promoter and woodchuck hepatitis virus posttranscriptional regulator element (WPRE). The former is for to reduce the possibility of physiological disturbance due to constitutional and unregulated expression of hEPO gene in the transgenic chicken. The latter is for maximum expression of the foreign gene when we turn-on the gene expression. A replication-defective Moloney murine leukemia virus (MoMLV)-based vectors packaged with vesicular stomatitis virus G glycoprotein (VSV-G) was injected beneath the blastoderm of non-incubated chicken embryos (stage X). Out of 325 injected eggs, 28 chicks hatched after 21 days of incubation and 16 hatched chicks were found to express the hEPO gene delivered by the vector. The biological activity of the recombinant hEPO in transgenic chicken serum was comparable to its commercially available counterpart. The recombinant hEPO in transgenic chicken serum had N- and O-linked carbohydrate simillar to that produced from in vitro cultured cells transformed with hEPO gene.

Erythropoietin (EPO), a glycoprotein hormone produced from primarily cells of the peritubular capillary endothelium of the kidney, is responsible for the regulation of red blood cell production. We have been investigating the roles of glycosylation site added in the biosynthesis and function of recombinant protein. In this study, we analyzed by immunohistochemical methods adaptive mechanisms to excessive erythrocytosis in transgenic (tg) mice expressing dimeric human erythropoietin (dHuEPO) gene. Splenomegaly was observed over 11 21 times in the tg mice. The 2,672 candidate spleen‐gderived genes were identified through the microarray analysis method, and decreased genes were higher than increased genes in the spleen. The specific proteins in the increased and decreased genes were analyzed by immunohistochemical methods. Our results demonstrate that problems of abnormal splenomegaly would solve in tg mice overexpressing dHuEPO gene.