Restriction enzyme mediated integration and FIV lentiviral transgenesis applied to amphibians

Abstract

Restriction enzyme mediated integration (REMI) transgenesis and lentiviral transgenesis are effective methods of introducing transgenes into the genome of frogs. One aquatic amphibian species, Xenopus laevis, and one land dwelling species, Litoria caerulea, were chosen as subjects for transgenesis. REMI produced X. laevis that expressed the fluorescent protein DsRed. REMI was unsuccessful in producing transgenic Litoria. Therefore, lentiviral transgenesis was attempted. Hatchling Litoria tadpoles were exposed to replication defective lentiviral particles containing the coding sequence for DsRed. Histological evaluation revealed the presence of DsRed in brain, heart, liver, kidney, and muscle tissues. Therefore, lentiviral transgenesis appears to be a viable technique for producing transgenic land-dwelling frogs.