Lentiviral transgenesis is a promising alternative to direct microinjection of DNA into pronuclei, which is by and large restricted to certain mouse strains. Lentiviruses are complex retroviruses that integrate their genome into the host chromosome. Vectors derived from lentiviruses can efficiently transfer transgenes in oocytes and early embryos, which is the basis for the use of these vectors in transgenesis. Lentivirus transgenesis has been used in many different species, including mouse, rat, pig, bovine, monkeys, and even birds. Here we present a protocol for generating transgenic animals by lentiviral transduction of early embryos as well as for analyzing viral integrants in transgenic animals.
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