Method of producing an exogenous protein in the egg of a chicken
View Patent ↗This invention provides for proteins which are expressed in the avian oviduct, packaged into eggs laid by the avian and removed from the eggs.
1. A method comprising introducing a transgene encoding an exogenous protein and a signal peptide into a chicken embryo; allowing the embryo to develop into a sexually mature male chicken; breeding the male chicken to a recipient female chicken; obtaining offspring from the recipient female which express the protein in tubular gland cells of the oviduct from which the protein is secreted; and recovering from an egg of an offspring a protein wherein the protein is exogenous to the egg and is encoded by the transgene.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the transgene is contained between a 5 ′ LTR and 3 ′ LTR of a retroviral vector.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the exogenous protein is selected from the group consisting of antitrypsin, antithrombin III, collagen, factors VIII, IX, X, fibrinogen, insulin, lactoferrin, protein C, tissue-type plasminogen activator, somatotrophin, cytokine, antibody, human growth hormone, immunotoxin and chymotrypsin.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the exogenous protein is present in egg white of the egg.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the transgene comprises a retroviral vector.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the retroviral vector is an ALV,
7. A method comprising introducing a transgene encoding a pharmaceutical protein and a signal peptide into a chicken embryo; allowing the embryo to develop into a sexually mature male chicken; breeding the male chicken to a recipient female chicken; obtaining offspring from the recipient female which express the pharmaceutical protein in tubular gland cells of the oviduct from which the protein is secreted; and recovering a pharmaceutical protein from an egg of an offspring wherein the pharmaceutical protein is exogenous to the egg and is encoded by the transgene.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the pharmaceutical protein is present in egg white of the egg.
9. A method comprising introducing a transgene encoding an exogenous cytokine and a signal peptide into a chicken embryo; allowing the embryo to develop into a sexually mature male chicken; breeding the male chicken to a recipient female chicken; obtaining offspring from the recipient female which express the protein in tubular gland cells of the oviduct from which the protein is secreted; and recovering from an egg of an offspring a cytokine.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the cytokine is GM-CSF.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein the cytokine is G-CSF.
12. The method of claim 9 wherein the cytokine is erythropoietin.
13. The method of claim 9 wherein the cytokine is interferon.
14. The method of claim 9 comprising isolating the cytokine.