Objective: To evaluate the inhibitory effects of HCV antisense oligonucleotide drugs in vivo.
Methods: Transgenic mice were generated by microinjection. The construct of luciferase controlled by HCV 5'NCR that contains CMV promotor was injected into the male pronuclus of fertilized eggs of ICR mice.
Results: Sixty-eight survival birth transgenic mice were identified by PCR amplification with tail DNA, 13 of whom were positive with an integration ratio of 19.2% (13/68). Transgenic mRNA was detected by RT-PCR in the tissue of three mice's offspring that contain transgenic DNA. Luciferase expression was detected in a line (35#) using the luciferase assay system and the expression persisted in the F2 generation. The phenotype of the mice in this line was normal and there was no significant difference in physiology from normal mice.
Conclusions: This line of transgenic mice will provide a useful animal model for the study of function of HCV 5'NCR and the evaluation of HCV antisense drugs in vivo.