Methods
There are two basic technical approaches to produce genetically modified mice. The first involves pronuclear injection into a single cell of the mouse embryo, where it will randomly integrate into the mouse genome. This method creates a transgenic mouse and is used to insert new genetic information into the mouse genome or to over-express endogenous genes. The second approach involves modifying embryonic stem cells with a DNA construct containing DNA sequences homologous to the target gene. Embyonic stem cells that recombine with the genomic DNA are selected for and they are then injected into the mice blastocysts. This method is used to manipulate a single gene, in most cases "knocking out" the target gene, although more subtle genetic manipulation can occur (e.g. only changing single nucleotides).
Read more about this topic: Genetically Modified Mouse
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