The use of DNA transposons for cancer gene discovery in mice

Insertional mutagenesis in mice is a potent instrument for cancer gene discovery. Until recently, retroviruses were the main experimental tools in this field and application of insertional mutagenesis was limited to tissues for which these agents have tropism, namely hemopoietic cells and mammary epithelium. However, the field has been revolutionized and greatly expanded with the recent reanimation of the transposons, a highly flexible group of insertional mutagens first discovered in maize, which have now been adapted for use in mammalian cells. Transposons do not only extend the application of insertional mutagenesis to any tissue of choice, but also allow a more extensive and unbiased coverage of the genome, can be designed to selectively activate or inactivate genes, and are highly amenable to temporal and spatial control. This chapter gives an overview of the design and application of transposons to cancer gene discovery in mice.