Mouse Breeding Recommendations v1

We hope that this information will be useful to researchers who are breeding mice and/or breeding transgenic mice.For purposes of convenience the term “transgenic mouse” is applied equally to mutant mice derived from any of diverse mechanisms including: 1) random transgene integrations, 2) gene targeted mice produced with ES cells, 3) mice genetically modified with nucleases such as CRISPR, TALENs, or ZFNs, or 4) mouse mutants generated with gene trap technology. An excellent overview of these genetic engineering technologies is provided by Clark et al. 2020. Other areas of interest include mutations that occur spontaneously in mouse colonies (for example Lehoczky et al. 2013), mutations induced by chemical mutagenesis (Kile et al. 2003), radiation induced mutations (Hagiwara et al. 2000). This protocol includes a brief bibliography with references to genetically engineered mice and methodology for generating genetically engineered mice and rats.The suggestions that follow are based on our experience. They are open to modification and should not be construed as a comprehensive set of rules.