A novel line of transgenic mice (RSV/LTR-bGH) expressing growth hormone in cardiac and striated muscle

In order to further investigate the deleterious effects of GH overexpression, we generated a novel line of transgenic mice featuring stable and specific expression of bovine GH in the heart and striated muscle. A DNA construct, containing a region with promoter activity from the Long Terminal Repeat of Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV-LTR) and the entire structural gene of bovine GH (bGH), was microinjected by standard techniques in male pronuclei of fertilized mice eggs. Transgenic mice expressed bGH mRNA in the heart and striated muscle starting at 5-6 weeks of age. They featured circulating levels of a 22 kDa form of bGH up to 700 ng/ml and enhanced growth starting at 6 weeks of age. No pathologic changes of the myocardium and striated muscle fibers, other than hypertrophy, were noticed, although severe glomerulosclerosis and liver alteration occurred in older mice. Future studies on this new line of transgenic GH mice and integration with the existing data might improve our understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying the detrimental effects of elevated GH levels on various organs and functions.