Transgenic animal models for detection of in vivo mutations

Transgenic rodent models for measuring mutations provide a tool for assessing tissue-specific mutations following in vivo treatment. These systems are based on the insertion into the rodent genome Escherichia coli lacI (lac repressor) or lacZ (beta-galactosidase) genes that serve as targets for mutations. Following in vivo treatment of animals, genomic DNA is isolated from tissues of interest, and the target gene is screened for mutations using either lambda-phage packaging or isolation of the target gene with magnetic affinity capture. In this paper we review the various experimental methods used in the conduct of transgenic mutation assays and discuss critical factors that affect the interpretations of results of these assays.