Genomic analysis of transgenic animals by the polymerase chain reaction

Once transgenic animals have been made and founder animals identified, it is usually necessary to establish lines of animals carrying the transgene. Since the founder animal will be hemizygous with respect to the transgene, at most 50% of its offspring will be transgenic. If the original animal is a mosaic, the proportion of transgenic offspring will be much lower. In either case, it is desirable to have a rapid, easy, and preferably economical screening method.