Mouse knockout models of hypertension.

Gene-targeting technology allows the planned alteration of any gene in the mouse genome and has been very successfully employed to study the function of numerous gene products in a complete animal. The method includes the design of a suitable targeting construct, its transfection into pluripotential embryonic stem cells, selection for cells in which one allele of the endogenous gene has been exchanged for the construct by homologous recombination, and the transfer of these cells into host blastocysts. The blastocysts are then transferred into the uterus of a pseudopregnant foster mother giving birth to chimeras, which are bred to yield heterozygous and finally homozygous mutant mice for the targeted gene.