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Stable Production of Human Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) in the Milk of Hemi- and Homozygous Transgenic Rabbits Over Several Generations

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Abstract

One transgenic rabbit line was generated carrying a fusion gene consisting of the cDNA for human IGF-1 fused to a mammary gland specific expression cassette derived from bovine alpha-S1-casein sequences. Transgene expression was shown to be strictly tissue and lactation period specific. The transgenic rabbit line was bred for six generations. All transgenic animals showed stable production of biologically active IGF-1 over the generations and no apparent effect on the physiological or reproductive performance was observed. The absence of adverse effects on homozygous transgenic rabbits suggested the absence of insertional mutagenesis. Eight hemizygous transgenic offspring analysed produced on average 363 ± 12μg/ml (ranging from 223 ± 61 to 484 ± 39 μg/ml) mature human IGF-1 in their milk, whereas three homozygous animals produced on average 543 ± 41 μg/ml (ranging from 360 ± 15 to 678 ± 80 μg/ml). Homozygous huIGF-1 females clearly showed a significantly increased production performance of the recombinant protein.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology in Animal Production, IFA Tulln, Konrad Lorenz Str. 20, A-3430, Tulln, Austria

    Natascha Zinovieva, Caroline Lassnig, Urban Besenfelder, Sigrid Müller & Mathias Müller

  2. Research Center for Milk and Food Weihenstephan, TU Munich, D-, 83350 Freising-Weihenstephan

    Dieter Schams

  3. Department of Molecular Animal Breeding and Husbandry, LMU Munich, Feodor-, Lynen-Str. 25, D-81375, Munich, Germany

    Eckhard Wolf

  4. Research Institute of the University of Veterinary Sciences, Dora Major, H-2225, Uuml;llö, Hungary

    Laszlo Frenyo & Janos Seregi

  5. Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Immuno-, Cyto- and Molecular Genetics, Veterinärplatz, 1, A-1210, Vienna, Austria

    Gottfried Brem

Authors
  1. Natascha Zinovieva
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  2. Caroline Lassnig
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  3. Dieter Schams
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  4. Urban Besenfelder
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  5. Eckhard Wolf
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  6. Sigrid Müller
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  7. Laszlo Frenyo
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  8. Janos Seregi
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  9. Mathias Müller
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  10. Gottfried Brem
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Zinovieva, N., Lassnig, C., Schams, D. et al. Stable Production of Human Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) in the Milk of Hemi- and Homozygous Transgenic Rabbits Over Several Generations. Transgenic Res 7, 437–447 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008831028620

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