Transgenic models for prostate cancer research

The ability to introduce novel or specifically altered genes into the germ line of mice and directly perturb gene expression in a specific tissue can facilitate characterization of the molecular mechanisms governing transformation of differentiating tissue within the context of an intact developing animal. Transgenics provide a powerful and remarkably flexible system that can be used to study the cooperation between proto-oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, and other epigenetic factors in the development of cancer.