MODEL ANIMAL WITH OVEREXPRESSION OF REGUCALCIN

摘要

It is intended to provide a model animal with the overexpression of regucalcin, which is inherently expressed in the liver, etc. of higher animals, showing bone disease conditions typified by osteoporosis. Regucalcin cDNAs are cloned from a rat liver cDNA library and a full−length cDNA encoding the regucalcin protein is isolated. The ORF is excised from this rat regucalcin full−length cDNA and transferred into an expression vector (pCXN2). Then this gene expression vector is microinjected into the male pronucleus of a fertilized rat ovum. This fertilized ovum is transplanted into the uterine tube of a host rat and a rat infant is developed. From this newborn, a homozygous rat is constructed. This transgenic rat exhibits remarkable morphological and biochemical bone disease conditions and significantly inhibited body weight gain.