动物转基因技术是21世纪发展最为迅速的生物高新技术之一,它是指通过基因工程技术将外源基因整合到受体动物基因组中,从而使其得以表达和遗传的生物技术。动物转基因的关键限制因素是转基因效率和基因表达的精确调控。目前有多种转基因技术,每一种技术各有其优缺点,仍然需要进一步研究。随着研究的深入,转基因技术必将在探讨基因功能、动物遗传改良、生物反应器、动物疾病模型、器官移植等领域有广阔的应用前景。文章综述了近年发展的提高转基因效率的生殖干细胞法、提高转基因精确性的基因打靶法、RNA干扰(RNAi)介导的基因沉默技术和诱导多能干细胞(iPS)转基因技术。新的转基因技术为转基因动物的研究提供了更好的平台,可以加快促进人类医药卫生、畜牧生产等领域的发展。
Animal transgenic technology is one of the fastest growing biotechnology in the 21st century. It is used to integrate foreign genes into the animal genome by genetic engineering technology so that foreign genes can be expressed and inherited to the offspring. The transgenic efficiency and precise control of gene expression are the key limiting factors on preparation of transgenic animals. A variety of transgenic techniques are available, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages and still needs further study because of unresolved technical and safety issues. With the in-depth research, the transgenic technology will have broad application prospects in the fields of exploration of gene function, animal genetic improvement, bioreactor, animal disease models, organ transplantation and so on. This article reviews the recently developed animal gene transfer techniques, including germline stem cell mediated method to improve the efficiency, gene targeting to improve the accuracy, RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated gene silencing technology, and the induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) transgenic technology. The new transgenic techniques can provide a better platform for the study of transgenic animals and promote the development of medical sciences, livestock production, and other fields.