Chapter 14 Transposon-Mediated Stable Integration and Tetracycline-Inducible Expression of Electroporated Transgenes in Chicken Embryos

The Tol2-mediated transposition approaches are novel techniques for the molecular manipulation of chicken embryos by which an exogenous gene can be integrated into the host genome. The integrated gene(s) can be stably expressed when driven by a ubiquitous promoter. This method can also be used for conditional expression when combined with the Tet-on system to achieve temporal control. The Tol2-transposition method allows for expression at stages even later than E5, which otherwise could not be analyzed with the conventional electroporation technique. These developmental stages are critical for organogenesis, where numerous tissues interact to generate the complex structures of functional organs. Thus, the techniques presented here are extremely useful for understanding how cells contribute to organogenesis at the molecular level.