Ivarie Robert
Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602-7223, USA.
Trends Biotechnol. 2003 Jan;21(1):14-9. doi: 10.1016/s0167-7799(02)00009-4.
The hen has long held promise as a low cost, high-yield bioreactor for the production of human biopharmaceuticals in egg whites. A typical egg white contains 3.5-4.0 grams of protein, more than half of which comes from a single gene (ovalbumin). Harnessing the power of the gene to express a recombinant protein could yield up to a gram or more of the protein in the naturally sterile egg. Accordingly, a major effort has been underway for more than a decade to develop robust methods for modification of the chicken genome. This effort intensified in the mid-1990s when several avian transgenic companies entered the scene. Progress has been made in that time but much remains to be done.
长期以来，母鸡一直有望成为一种低成本、高产量的生物反应器，用于在蛋清中生产人类生物制药产品。一个典型的蛋清含有3.5至4.0克蛋白质，其中一半以上来自单个基因（卵清蛋白）。利用该基因表达重组蛋白的能力，在天然无菌的鸡蛋中可产生多达一克或更多的该种蛋白质。因此，十多年来一直在大力开展工作，以开发用于修饰鸡基因组的可靠方法。20世纪90年代中期，几家禽类转基因公司进入该领域后，这一工作力度加大。在那段时间里取得了进展，但仍有许多工作要做。
