A safe harbor locus is a place in the genome which allows for expression of a precisely inserted transgene without the risk of affecting surrounding endogenous genes. Gene targeting at this type of locus gives you control of copy number while avoiding the undesirable effects of random insertion transgenics, namely undesirable position effects that can cause unstable phenotypes, gene silencing, or unexpected gene expression.
Ingenious targeting laboratory provides options for constitutive or inducible transgene overexpression at reduced timelines and costs compared to traditional methods. By utilizing well-validated gene targeting strategies, we can generate custom transgenic mouse models with various expression possibilities. Safe harbor loci targeting can provide more consistent expression patterns across generations, eliminating uncertainties associated with random insertion transgenics and thereby enhancing research reliability and reproducibility.
“iTL has generated a conditional knockout mouse as well as a knockin mouse for my laboratory. As a repeat customer I am obviously happy with their gene targeting services. iTL has consistently proven to be very flexible and easy to work with. This was especially apparent when we phenotyped mice at iTL’s animal facilities as their personnel helped us with lab work until 4 am in the morning. Highly recommended!”– John Andersson, PhD CarryGenes Therapeutics
You may also be interested in: Mouse Rosa26 Locus
Safe harbor loci are used as places in the genome where the insertion of foreign DNA would not have unpredictable results. Unpredictable results could mean either unwanted effects on the health of the mouse, or unpredictable expression of the foreign DNA. Targeting foreign DNA into the Rosa26 locus for example seems to have essentially no effect on the mouse’s health. In addition, the DNA that is inserted will have a consistent expression pattern, which is not the case with random pronuclear injection transgenics. With pronuclear injection, the transgene can be inserted near another gene, and that gene’s promoter can influence the inserted DNA. Another aspect to consider is – targeting your transgene into a safe harbor locus means you’ll know your transgene will be there generation after generation, whereas randomly inserted trangenes may be lost over time. Using a safe harbor locus for targeted transgenic knockin can take away the uncertainty seen with pronuclear injection transgenics.
To learn more, see Understanding the Rosa26 Knock-in and Its Uses
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