Targeting gene expression to the wool follicle in transgenic sheep

To establish the feasibility of overexpressing foreign genes in the wool follicle, transgenic sheep were produced by pronuclear microinjection of a DNA construct consisting of a mouse ultrahigh-sulfur keratin promoter linked to the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) gene. Four of 31 lambs born were transgenic. The overall efficiency of transgenesis was 1.1% of zygotes injected and transferred. Two transgenic rams were mated to nontransgenic ewes, and both transmitted the gene to their offspring in Mendelian fashion. CAT expression was found in the skin of one G0 ram and in 9 out of 26 transgenic G1 progeny. Two G1 lambs were sacrificed to study tissue specificity. Both had high levels of expression in skin but One had high expression in spleen and kidney with lower levels of expression in lung; the other had low expression in spleen, lung, and muscle. In situ hybridization demonstrated that transgene expression in the skin was confined to the keratogenous zone of the wool follicle cortex. Expression of CAT activity in skin was correlated with diet-induced or seasonal changes in the rate of wool growth. This keratin promoter appears useful for overexpressing factors in the wool follicle that might influence wool production or properties.