title: Human erythropoietin induces lung failure and erythrocytosis in transgenic mice.
abstract: We have expressed human erythropoietin (EPO) in transgenic mice using a recombinant EPO cDNA combined with a partial TPO construct. The gene was microinjected using standard techniques and five mice were detected as transgenic by PCR and further used as founders. The life span of the transgenic founders was much shorter than that of their normal littermates. Most of the tissues of the transgenic founders contained human EPO transcripts as judged by RT-PCR. Especially high expression levels were seen in the liver and lung. EPO protein levels in serum were examined by ELISA and ranged from 266, 414 mIU/ml. The number of red blood cell, white blood cell and hemoglobin in the hEPO transgenic mice was higher than in normal mice. These results indicate that overexpression of hEPO is deleterious and can provoke lung failure and erythrocytosis.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, College of Natural Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701, Korea.
authors.forename: Myoung Ok
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sung Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Mi Jung
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Dong Beom
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Tae Won
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kil Soo
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ji Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.forename: Sanggyu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yong Bok
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Sun Jung
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Zae Young
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Ryoo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D002417:Cattle; D002452:Cell Count; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D010375:Pedigree; D011086:Polycythemia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D019076:Transgenes
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D004921:Erythropoietin