Green Fluorescent protein (GFP) transgenic animals are accepted
tools for studying various physiological processes, including
organ development and cell migration. However, several in vivo
studies claimed that GFP may impair transgenic animals’ health.
Glomerulosclerosis was observed in transgenic mice and rabbits
with ubiquitous reporter protein expression. Heart-specific GFP
expression evoked dilated cardiomyopathy and altered cardiac
function in transgenic mouse and zebrafish lines, respectively.
Moreover, growth retardation and increased axon swelling were
observed in GFP and yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) transgenic
mice, respectively. This review will focus on the potential
drawbacks of the applications of GFP transgenic animals in
biomedical research.