Cell-specific expression of a recombinant rat glutathione S-transferase Ya gene in transgenic mice

Transgenic mice have been generated which carry a cDNA encoding the rat Ya isozyme of glutathione S-transferase (GST) under the transcriptional control of the SV40 early region promoter-enhancer. Expression of the GST transgene was highly tissue-specific, with the highest expression detected in the convoluted tubular epithelium of the mouse kidney cortex. GST Ya mRNA abundance in these cells was greater than that found for GST Ya mRNA in normal rat liver. GST Ya protein was observed in the convoluted tubule cells of the founder mouse as well as an F1 offspring. The transmission of the foreign gene was followed for two generations, and an erratic pattern of inheritance was observed. These animals provide a model for the in vivo study of GST modulation of carcinogenesis and drug toxicity.