TRANSGENESIS BY ADENOVIRUS-MEDIATED GENE-TRANSFER INTO MOUSE ZONA-FREE EGGS

Zona-free mouse eggs at the pronucleus stage were infected with a repl ication-defective adenovirus vector containing a nuclear-targeted lacZ gene. Exogenous beta-galactosidase activity was detected in almost al l eggs at the two-cell stage. Of 27 mice that developed from infected eggs, three carried the integrated exogenous gene mediated by the aden ovirus. Two of the three expressed the lacZ gene, and all three mice t ransmitted the adenovirus-mediated transgene to F1 progeny Southern bl ot analysis was consistent with single copy integration. This finding should accelerate the development of new strategies for transgenesis a nd assist studies on the function of cloned genes in vivo.