ABSTRACT
Recent advances in molecular biology and reproductive technology have generated the possibility to create transgenic livestock. Applications of transgenesis in farm animals include enhancing food and fiber production, disease resistance, producing recombinant proteins in the mammary gland and creating a source of organs for xenotransplantation into human beings. Transgenic founder animals are generated by injecting gene constructs into the pronuclei of fertilized eggs, which subsequently integrate permanently into the genome. Transgene expression is regulated by the use of gene constructs consisting of a tissue-specific promoter fused to the structural gene of interest. Dissemination of transgenes into a herd or flock is accomplished by established animal breeding techniques. Recent data on producing transgenic cattle are presented.
