A comparison of the germline potential of differently aged ES cell lines and their transfected descendants.

The germline transmission (g.l.t.) of gene trap or gene targeted mutations by ES-cell-derived chimaeric mice is a crucial step in the generation of stable transgenic lines. The wild-type ES cell lines CJ7, D3 and R1 of different passage numbers and their transfected clone-descendants generated in gene targeting or gene trap experiments were tested for their ability to colonize the germline. The maximal g.l.t. age for wild-type ES cells was equal to passage 26 and for transfected clones was equivalent to passage 32 of parental lines. It is shown that wild-type ES cells of less than a passage 15 should be used for effective production of transgenic g.l.t. clones. A simple system is outlined to evaluate the probability of g.l.t. on the basis of the chimaeric progeny obtained.