Generation of trans-mitochondrial mito-mice by the introduction of a pathogenic G13997A mtDNA from highly metastatic lung carcinoma cells.

To investigate the effects of respiration defects on the disease phenotypes, we generated trans-mitochondrial mice (mito-mice) by introducing a mutated G13997A mtDNA, which specifically induces respiratory complex I defects and metastatic potentials in mouse tumor cells. First, we obtained ES cells and chimeric mice containing the G13997A mtDNA, and then we generated mito-mice carrying the G13997A mtDNA via its female germ line transmission. The three-month-old mito-mice showed complex I defects and lactate overproduction, but showed no other phenotypes related to mitochondrial diseases or tumor formation, suggesting that aging or additional nuclear abnormalities are required for expression of other phenotypes.