Human Molecular Genetics, 2002, Vol. 11, No. 22 2777-2786
© 2002 Oxford University Press
A novel transgenic line of mice exhibiting autosomal recessive male-specific lethality and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, 233 South 10th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
Received July 2, 2002; Accepted August 16, 2002
We have isolated a Meis1a transgenic mouse line exhibiting recessive male-specific lethality and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which coincides with pubescence and is androgen-dependent. The phenotype is due to disruption of an endogenous locus, since other Meis1a transgenic lines do not exhibit these phenotypes. Necropsy analysis revealed hepatic microvesicular steatosis in pubescent male homozygous mice, which is absent in transgenic females. The transgene insertion site was localized to chromosome 1 and further refined by cloning the flanking regions. Sequence analysis shows that the integration site disrupts a putative metallo-ß-lactamase gene with a 21.3 kb deletion encompassing exons 5–7.
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