Description:
Reagent Description
This rat strain is useful for studying the organization of the mammalian circadian system. In this transgenic rat line, luciferase is rhythmically expressed under the control of the mouse Per1 promoter. Cells isolated from the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) continue rhythmical light emission for up to 32 days in vitro.
A mouse Per1 genomic fragment of 6.7 kb was ligated directly to the second codon of the firefly luciferase cDNA flanked by the SV40 late polyadenylation signal. The mPer1 fragment includes five functional E box regions, a transcription initiation site, the first and second exons (which are split by the first intron), and a translational start codon in the second exon. The linearized reporter fragment was microinjected into 302 fertilized eggs of Wistar rats.
Transgenic rats were identified by polymerase chain reaction, and the copy number of the transgene was determined by Southern analysis. All of the founder rats developed normally. A transgenic line W(perl)1, which showed circadian oscillation of luciferase activity in the SCN, was selected for further study. There are approximately 12 copies per genome of the transgene integrated in W(perl)1, and the luciferase activity in the brain is 1,431 relative luminescence units per milligram of protein. The transgene does not disrupt molecular circadian time keeping.
This rat strain is covered by U.S. Patent 7,659,387.
References
Science. 2000 Apr 28;288(5466):682-5. (Available online.)
