A model for studying megakaryocyte development and biology

The limited current understanding of megakaryocyte-lineage development and megakaryocyte biology is in large part because of a paucity of useful syste ms in which to conduct experiments. To overcome this problem, we have devel oped a transgenic mouse that uses the GP-Ib alpha: regulatory sequences to achieve megakaryocyte-lineage restricted expression of an avian retroviral receptor. Through the transgenic avian receptor, avian retroviruses can eff iciently and selectively infect megakaryocyte-lineage cells in. vitro and i n vivo. Serial infections can be performed to introduce and express multipl e genes in the same cell. We have used this system to generate and characte rize a pure population of primary CD41-positive megakaryocyte progenitors.