Intramammary infusion technique for genetic engineering of the mammary gland.

The mammary gland is an appropriate substrate for genetic engineering because of its capacity to synthesize and secrete molecules of biological importance. An approach to mass production of such molecules involves transfer of genes into the lactating cell by infusion via the teat and duct system. We describe an infusion technique with the rat, a useful animal in which to develop such technology. By dye maker, trypan blue, and the ultrastructural marker, ferritin-concanavalin A, infusions by this route can permeate the entire gland and deliver molecules to apical membranes of lactating cells.