Tg(KRT14-Gdnf)097Kma

The K14-GDNF transgene contains 2.3 kb of the human K14 keratin promoter sequence, the mouse GDNF cDNA and intron-exon splice sites from the human growth hormone gene. ELISAs were done to measure peptide levels in the skin, DRG, spinal cord, and plasma of adult GDNF-OE and wild-type mice. A sixfold increase of GDNF protein was detected in transgenic skin, whereas in DRG a 4.23-fold increase was measured. Spinal cord levels were also increased by 2.67-fold, suggesting anterograde transport of GDNF from the DRG to the dorsal horn. GDNF was not detected in the plasma of either wild-type or transgenic animals. (J:76684)