Point Mutation Rats
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A point mutation rat is a knockin rat line in which one or more nucleotides in rat genome are substituted by variant nucleotides. This can result in either an in-frame amino acid change of protein sequence or a frameshift mutation. Point mutation knockin rat models are of particular interest in that they mimic human diseases better than mouse models. Cyagen offers quick point mutation rat model generation via CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing technology by co-injecting nuclease and oligo donors carrying the desired mutation and homology arms. We guarantee delivery of a minimum of 2 founders or 3 F1 animals for point mutation knockin.
◆ Workflow of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated Point Mutation Rat Services
◆ Description of Services
Point mutation strategy design
Tell us the name of your gene and the point mutation desired to knockin, we will design a nuclease-mediated strategy that meets your research needs. This includes the selection of target sites in the gene based on our optimized algorithm that maximizes on-target nuclease activity and minimizes off-target reactivity, the design of nuclease vectors and the donor template. Genotyping assays based on PCR and sequencing will also be designed for the screening of founder rats.
Nuclease expression vector construction
DNA vectors that express the desired nucleases will be constructed. Where needed, the efficacy of these vectors will be tested in cell culture.
Nuclease injection into rat eggs
- mRNA preparation: Nuclease expression vectors will be transcribed in vitro. The resulting mRNA will be artificially capped and polyadenylated to facilitate its proper translation into protein in mammalian cells.
- Nuclease injection to obtain founders: The in vitro transcribed nuclease mRNA and oligo donor carrying the desired mutation(s) will be co-injected into fertilized rat eggs, followed by implantation of the eggs into surrogate mothers to obtain offspring. In cases where the nuclease expression vectors are designed and constructed by Cyagen, we will inject as many eggs and/or target as many sites as needed to fulfill the guarantee. In cases where the nuclease expression vectors (or their mRNA products) are provided by the customer, we will inject a minimum of 200/300 eggs (based on strain) and screen pups for founders carrying desired mutation. If no founders are identified, more injections can be performed at an additional charge.
Founder screening
Pups will be screened by PCR and sequencing to identify founder rats. Specifically, the site targeted by the nucleases will be PCR-amplified, followed by sequencing of the PCR product to reveal any mutations that might have occurred.
Breeding founders to obtain F1
For some projects, the generation of founder rats is the end point. However, some customers wish to have us breed the founders further to obtain F1 rats. We will breed up to 3 founders to wildtype rats of matching strain background, and genotype their offspring to obtain F1 rats bearing the knockin allele.
◆ Donor Strain Information
We typically produce nuclease-mediated knockin rats in SD or Long Evans strain background, but we may be able to use other strains per your request.
◆ Pricing and Turnaround Time
For projects where nuclease expression vectors are constructed by Cyagen
| Stages | Service | Price | Turnaround time | |
| 1 | Point mutation strategy design | Free | 1-4 days | |
| 2 | Nuclease expression vector construction for point mutation knockin | $2,450 | 3-5 weeks | |
| 3 | mRNA preparation | $950 | 1-2 weeks | |
| 4 | CRISPR/Cas9 injection to obtain point mutation knockin founders | SD | $23,950 | 7-12 weeks |
| Long Evans | $24,950 | 7-16 weeks | ||
| 5 | Genotyping pups to identify point mutation knockin founders | $1,450 | 1-2 weeks | |
| 6 | Off-targeting analysis | $595 | 1-2 weeks | |
| 7 | Breeding founders to obtain F1 | $3,150 | 12-18 weeks | |
Note: For nuclease-mediated point mutation rat services not listed above, please inquire about availability and pricing. The turnaround time above does not include the time for obtaining host institution’s approval for rat importation, nor transit time during shipping.
◆ Guarantee
Cyagen offers the best guarantee in the industry – we guarantee generation of point mutation knockin rats. We will fully refund the client’s service fee if animals with the specified genotype are not generated (except for genetic modifications severely affecting viability, morbidity, or fertility). Given the complexity of biological systems, a particular genetic modification may not result in the desired phenotype. As such, Cyagen's guarantee covers the creation of animals with the specified genotype, not a particular phenotypic outcome in terms of transcription, protein/RNA function, or organismal biology.
◆ Inquiries and Quote Requests
Request a quote now. Alternatively, you can always email service@cyagen.com or call 800-921-8930 to inquire about our services or obtain a quote for your project.
◆ Price Matching
If you find another commercial service provider that offers better pricing than ours, we will match the price plus an additional 5% off.
◆ Bulk Discount
We offer up to a 10% bulk discount for large orders. Large orders are defined as 5 or more projects from the same institution. If you bundle your orders with those of your colleagues, you can all qualify for the bulk discount.
◆ Payments
Standard payment terms include a 50% upfront payment before the project, and the remaining 50% plus shipping charge paid after completion of the project. If you need us to design your transgenic strategy, we will provide this service for free irrespective of whether you end up choosing us for your project.
◆ Shipping
Products are shipped from our Santa Clara, California facility. For rat shipments, the shipping charge includes courier cost plus a $100/crate handling fee. DNA constructs or fixed/stained embryos are shipped at room temperature, and the charge includes courier cost plus a $10 handling fee. We typically use World Courier to ship live mice and FedEx for other shipments.
◆ Animal Programs
All animal work is conducted in our specific pathogen free (SPF) facilities that have been AAALAC accredited and OLAW assured. For details information, please visit our support section for Description of our Facility, Animal Health and Animal Welfare Program.
◆ Customer References
Please click here to view a map of customers who have used Cyagen before worldwide.
◆ Citations
Please click here for a list of publications that have cited Cyagen.