Small eye phenotypes observed in a human tau gene transgenic rat.
We developed a rat line showing small eye from transgenic rats that were obtained by microinjection of a DNA segment containing the human (h)tau cDNA (GenBank: BC000558: 31-677,774-1180) expressed under control of CAG promoter, which is related to Alzheimer disease, into the pronuclei rat embryos. The rat line was established by selective brother-sister mating of rats showing small eyes. Of 11 offspring in the 11th generation, there were eight animals with microphthalmia and the transgene. The remaining three rats without transgene did not show the small eyes phenotype. The globes of affected rats were 1.2 mm in length compared with normal globes (3.5 mm), and all other ocular structures were normal. The expression of hTau protein was evident immunohistochemically in the ciliary body, extraocular muscle, lens epithelium, and pigment epithelium. Cytogenetic analysis suggested that the chromosome location of the transgene was chromosome 1 (1p12). This region may include genes related to lens development, such as Cat5.
Goto
Kazuo
K
Central Institute for Experimental Animals, Kawasaki, Japan. gotok@ciea.or.jp
Yasuda
Masahiko
M
Sugawara
Ayako
A
Kuramochi
Takashi
T
Itoh
Toshio
T
Azuma
Noriyuki
N
Ito
Mamoru
M
D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D033481:Chromosomes, Mammalian / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008850:Microphthalmos / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D010641:Phenotype; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D019076:Transgenes / Q000502:physiology*; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
D016875:tau Proteins