PiggyBac Transposon System

Transposon-mediated germline transgenesis has become a powerful tool to build genetically modified animal models as well as cell lines. At Creative Biolabs, we have successfully obtained transgenic rodent animals with large fragment insertion and high transgene efficiency by using different transposon systems, including PiggyBac, Tol2, and Sleeping Beauty. We are proud and willing to share our cutting-edge technology and rich experience with our clients to promote their brilliant studies.

Discovery of the PiggyBac Transposon

The PiggyBac transposon superfamily is relatively recently recognized as a widespread DNA transposon family with a broad host spectrum from yeast to mammals. This type of transposon was originally thought to be a rare transposon but now it has been deeply characterized by the discovery and isolation of PiggyBac-like elements from a number of species. Currently, the PiggyBac transposon is the most widely used transposon system for genetic manipulations in various fields.

Mechanisms of Transposition

The PiggyBac (PB) transposon system is composed of a transposable element, a gene of interest, and a transposase. Efficient transposon between vectors and chromosomes is mediated by the ‘cut and paste' mechanism. The target gene is inserted into the transposon vector between two inverted terminal repeat sequences (ITRs), which are transposon-specific sequences located on both ends of the vector. During transposition, the PB transposase recognizes ITRs and cut the target sequences, thereby moving the contents to the target sites and integrating them into TTAA chromosomal sites randomly dispersed in the genome. In general, all members of the PiggyBac superfamily use TTAA as their integration target sites.

Fig.1 PiggyBac transposons function by a ‘cut-and-paste' mechanism.
(Adams et al. 2008)

Features of PB Transposon

• Its high activity enables genes of interest between the two ITRs in the PB vector to be easily mobilized into target genomes.
• Through the ‘cut and paste' mechanism, this technology enables the excision of the transposon in a completely seamless manner, thus avoiding the possibilities of causing issues like insertional mutagenesis.
• The PiggyBac transposon shows precise excision and does not require DNA synthesis during the actual transposition event.
• Compared to pronuclear microinjection method, PB transposon has similar advantages with other transposon methods, which can be summarized as simple procedures, high expression efficiency, single copy insertion with no known upper size limit, and reversible insertion.
• Together with Cre/LoxP technology, PiggyBac can also be used to generate large-scale rearrangements of the mouse genome including duplications, deletions, and translocations.

Meanwhile, Creative Biolabs is capable of providing other model creation services to satisfy your various needs. Please click the links to find more useful information:

• CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing Mouse Models
• TALEN-Mediated Genome Editing Mouse Models
• ESC/HR-Based Gene Targeting Mouse Models
• DNA Microinjection
• Lentivirus-Mediated Transfection Models

At Creative Biolabs, having sufficient practical experience and skilled techniques, we totally understand how to help design the studies to obtain rapid and clear answers to our clients. Here, you can find the most comprehensive model creation services at most favorable prices. Please feel free to contact us or send us an inquiry for more information or a formal quote.

Reference

1. Adams, D. J.; Weyden, L. V. D. Contemporary approaches for modifying the mouse genome. Physiological Genomics. 2008, 34(3):225-38.

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