Transgenic songbirds offer an opportunity to develop a genetic model for vocal learning
Abstract
Zebra finches are widely used for studying the basic biology of vocal learning. The inability to introduce genetic modifications in these animals has substantially limited studies on the molecular biology of this behavior, however. We used an HIV-based lentivirus to produce germline transgenic zebra finches. The lentivirus encoded the GFP regulated by the human ubiquitin-C promoter [Lois C, Hong EJ, Pease S, Brown EJ, Baltimore D (2002) Science 295:868–872], which is active in a wide variety of cells. The virus was injected into the very early embryo (blastodisc stage) to target the primordial germline cells that later give rise to sperm and eggs. A total of 265 fertile eggs were injected with virus, and 35 hatched (13%); 23 of these potential founders (F0) were bred, and three (13%) produced germline transgenic hatchlings that expressed the GFP protein (F1). Two of these three founders (F0) have produced transgenic young at a rate of 12% and the third at a rate of 6%. Furthermore, two of the F1 generation transgenics have since reproduced, one having five offspring (all GFP positive) and the other four offsping (one GFP positive).
Additional Information
© 2009 National Academy of Sciences. Received for review June 17, 2009; Contributed by F. Nottebohm, August 14, 2009. We thank the Rockefeller Field Research Center staff for their outstanding care of the birds in this study. This work was funded by McKnight Technological Innovations in Neuroscience Awards, the Whitehall Foundation, and The Rockefeller University. Author contributions: R.J.A., C.L., and F.N. designed research; R.J.A., B.B.S., B.H., and C.L. performed research; C.L. contributed new reagents/analytic tools; R.J.A. analyzed data; and R.J.A. and F.N. wrote the paper. The authors declare no conflict of interest.Attached Files
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Additional details
- PMCID
- PMC2764872
- Eprint ID
- 90053
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20180928-130419378
- McKnight Foundation
- Whitehall Foundation
- Rockefeller University
- Created
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2018-09-28Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-16Created from EPrint's last_modified field