Establishment of transgenic mouse models carrying human polymeric immunoglobulin receptor gene

OBJECTIVE: To establish transgenic mouse models carrying human polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR) gene to render the mice prone to EBV infection in normal condition, thereby to facilitate the study of the role of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in the pathogenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. METHOD: By means of microinjection, pIgR gene under the regulation by kerotinocyte-specific promoter ED-L2 was introduced into the pronuclei of mouse zygote, which was transferred into pseudo- pregnant female mice to induce nasopharynx-specific pIgR expression in the founder mice. RESULT: Six out of the 16 founder mice (37.5%) was tested by PCR to be pIgR-positive, while Southern blotting identified only 2 positive mice. CONCLUSION: Transgenic mice harboring pIgR gene can be used potentially as a new model for studying the pothogenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma by EBV.