Objective To generate transgenic mice expressing human APOC3, and establish a mouse model of hyperlipidemia. MethodsThe transgenic plasmid was constructed by inserting human APOC3 gene into the downstream of the human ubiquitin C (Ubc) promoter. The transgenic mice were produced by microinjection and the genotyping was detected by PCR. The expression level of the gene was determined by Western blotting. The levels of blood lipids of the mice at different ages were detected using a biochemical analyzer. Fat in the liver tissue was observed by histology with fat staining. ResultsThe transgenic mouse model with overexpression of human APOC3 gene was established, showing overexpression of human APOC3 gene in the blood, liver, intestine, muscle, heart, kidney and spleen tissues, compared with those of the wild type mice. The plasma triglyceride phosphate (TG) level and liver fat content of the transgenic mice were significantly higher than those in the wild type mice. ConclusionsA transgenic mouse model overexpressing human APOC3 gene and phenotypes of hyperlipidemia has been developed, providing a useful animal model for hyperlipidemia and related angiocardiopathy studies.