Transgenic approaches to salivary gland research

This review discusses the use of transgenic technology for the study of salivary gland function and development. Methods for gene transfer in the salivary gland of experimental mammals are described, including use of conventional and embryonic stem cell-derived transgenic mice and direct gene transfer techniques employing recombinant adenovirus vectors. Tissue-specific expression studies in transgenic mice have defined a number of salivary gland-specific promoter/enhancers that can be used to direct transcription into different salivary cell types. The consequences of expression of various oncogenes in the salivary glands of transgenic mice for the induction of neoplasia and hyperplasia are described. Recently, the use of adenoviral vectors has been demonstrated to be a powerful new approach to transfer genes into the salivary gland. This technology should have a major impact on the study of salivary gland gene expression, as well as provide a means to express therapeutic proteins in the salivary gland.