A strategy for the application of transgenic rodent mutagenesis assays

The past several years have seen an enormous increase in the development and use of transgenic animal models to measure mutations in specific inserted reporter genes. These systems provide gene mutation data in vivo in a wide range of relevant tissues. Numerous laboratories are now using these systems with consistent results. This paper describes the unique niche that transgenic mutagenesis systems can fill in product development and registration strategies. In addition to tissue-specific mechanistic studies, transgenic assays are available to follow up mutagenic effects demonstrated in Salmonella, Escherichia coli, mouse lymphoma (L5178Y) cells, or other in vitro systems.