Mobilization of giant piggyBac transposons in the mouse genome

Meng Amy Li, Daniel J. Turner, Zemin Ning, Kosuke Yusa, Qi Liang, Sabine Eckert, Lena Rad, Tomas W. Fitzgerald, Nancy L. Craig, Allan Bradley

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

109 Scopus citations

Abstract

The development of technologies that allow the stable delivery of large genomic DNA fragments in mammalian systems is important for genetic studies as well as for applications in gene therapy. DNA transposons have emerged as flexible and efficient molecular vehicles to mediate stable cargo transfer. However, the ability to carry DNA fragments >10kb is limited in most DNA transposons. Here, we show that the DNA transposon piggyBac can mobilize 100-kb DNA fragments in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells, making it the only known transposon with such a large cargo capacity. The integrity of the cargo is maintained during transposition, the copy number can be controlled and the inserted giant transposons express the genomic cargo. Furthermore, these 100-kb transposons can also be excised from the genome without leaving a footprint. The development of piggyBac as a large cargo vector will facilitate a wider range of genetic and genomic applications.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)e148
JournalNucleic acids research
Volume39
Issue number22
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2011

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Genetics

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