Tg(ACTA1-Il15*)11650Lsq

A mouse interleukin-15 (Il15) cDNA sequence encoding the mature endogenous protein (nucleotides 610-951) was modified by removing several post-transcriptional checkpoints that block efficient IL-15 translation and replacing the inefficiently translated and secreted endogenous IL-15 signal peptides with the mouse interleukin-2 (Il2) signal peptide, and stabilizing the COOH terminus of the mature IL-15 protein with a FLAG epitope tag. This IL2SP-IL15 construct was then placed downstream of a modified human alpha-skeletal actin (HSA or ACTA1) promoter fragment. A polyA signal is inserted at the 3' end of the final transgene. The resulting construct was microinjected into C57BL/6 x C3H hybrid oocyte pronuclei. Founder mice were with C57BL/6J mice to generate line 11650 (with a stable single transgene insertion point). IL-15 mRNA/protein expression in skeletal muscle is approximately 1000-fold greater in hemizygous males and approximately 800-fold/1000-fold greater in hemizygous females, respectively. Overexpression in the serum of hemizygous males and females is approximately 300-fold/500-fold, respectively. (J:145611)