Generation of transgenic mice for studies of ocular development and disease

Over the past decade, there has been spectacular growth in our understanding of the molecular genetics of eye development and ocular disease. Although this is primarily caused by developments in recombinant DNA technology, it is also caused in large part by advances in, and the spread of, transgenic mouse technology. Whereas 10 years ago few laboratories had the equipment and skill to generate transgenic mice, now most investigators have access to a transgenic core facility. Transgenic mouse studies have fueled our understanding of ocular development, have delineated regulatory elements involved in gene expression in cells of the eye, and have unraveled pathogenic mechanisms involved in eye disease.