GFP-transgenic animals for in vivo imaging: rats, rabbits, and pigs

Specifically, gene-encoded biological probes serve as stable and high-performance tools to visualize cellular fate in living animals. The rat, as with the mouse, has offered important animal models for biology and medical research, and has provided a wealth of physiological and pharmacological data. The larger-body animals, in comparison to the mouse have allowed the application of various physiological and surgical manipulations that may prove to have biological significance. We have further extended the techniques of genetic engineering to rats, rabbits, and pigs, and have created corresponding GFP-transgenic animals. The GFP-positive organs of these animals provide valuable sensors in preclinical settings for cell therapy and transplantation studies. In this chapter, we highlight expression profiles in these animal resources and describe examples of preclinical applications.