Viable pigs with a conditionally-activated oncogenic KRAS mutation

Abstract

Oncogenic mutations of KRAS play a major role in human carcinogenesis. Here we describe viable gene-targeted pigs carrying a latent KRAS (G12D) mutant allele that can be activated by Cre recombination. These have been produced as part of a program to model human cancers in pigs by replicating genetic lesions known to initiate and drive human disease. Cre-activated KRAS (G12D) animals add to a growing set of gene-targeted pigs that includes a Cre-activated oncogenic mutant TP53, a Cre-responsive dual fluorescent reporter and two truncating mutations of APC (adenomatous polyposis coli). These alleles can be combined and activated in various tissues to produce new models for cancer research.