Production of biologically active human granulocyte colony stimulating factor in the milk of transgenic goat

We have developed a transgenic female goat harboring goat beta-casein promo ter/human granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) fusion gene by micr oinjection into fertilized one-cell goat zygotes. Human G-CSF was produced at levels of up to 50 mu g/ml in transgenic goat milk. Its biological activ ity was equivalent to recombinant human G-CSF expressed from Chinese hamste r ovary (CHO) cell when assayed using in vitro HL-60 cell proliferation. Hu man G-CSF from transgenic goat milk increased the total number of white blo od cells in C57BL/6N mice with leucopenia induced by cyclophosphamide (CPA) . The secreted human G-CSF was glycosylated although the degree of O-glycos ylation was lower compared to CHO cell-derived human G-CSF.