title: Establishment of lacZ-transgenic rats: a tool for regenerative research in myocardium.
abstract: Animals transgenic (Tg) for reporter genes would be useful to following a given cell lineage during differentiation and regeneration processes. Here, we established a beta-galactosidase (lacZ) Tg rat to use as a tool for regenerative research. Strong lacZ expression was observed in the skeletal muscles, myocardium, pancreas, and skin obtained from these lacZ-Tg rats, and moderate lacZ expression was observed in the liver, spleen, kidney, and cartilage. In contrast, brain, vessels, lung, adrenal gland, small intestine, blood leukocytes, bone marrow (BM) cells, and peripheral blood cells showed no lacZ expression. To test whether this lacZ-Tg rat could be used for regenerative research in myocardium, we induced myocardial injury after a lacZ-Tg BM transplant (BMT) into wild-type rats. The results show that lacZ-positive cardiomyocytes were found in the peri-infarct and uninjured myocardium in the BMT recipient rats. These findings suggest that lacZ-Tg rats are useful tool for regenerative research in the myocardium.
authors.affiliation: Division of Organ Replacement Research, Center for Molecular Medicine, Jichi Medical School, Minamikawachi-machi, Tochigi 329-0498, Japan. masafumi@jichi.ac.jp
authors.forename: Masafumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Yoji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hakamata
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Shin-ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
authors.forename: Ri-ichi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Masatsugu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000502:physiology; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000209:etiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D008297:Male; D023421:Models, Animal; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012038:Regeneration; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001616:beta-Galactosidase