Genetically modified mammal
Encyclopedia
Genetically modified mammals are mammal
s that have been genetically engineered
. They are an important category of genetically modified organism
s. The majority of research involving genetically modified mammals involves mice with attempts to produce knockout animals in other mammalian species limited by the inability to derive and stably culture embryonic stem cells.
when specific genes are altered. This can be used to discover the function of an unknown gene, any genetic interactions that occur or where the gene is expressed
. Genetic modification can also produce mammals that are susceptible to certain compounds or stresses for testing in biomedical research. Some genetically modified mammals are used as models
of human diseases and potential treatments and cures can first be tested on them. Other mammals have been engineered with aim of potentially increasing there use to medicine and industry. These possibilities include pigs expressing human antigens aiming to increasing the success of xenotransplantation
to lactating mammals expressing useful proteins in their milk.
). This is possible since mice can be created with the same mutation
s that occur in human genetic disorder
s, the production of the human disease in these mice then allows treatments to be tested.
The oncomouse
is a type of laboratory mouse that has been genetically modified
using modifications designed by Philip Leder
and Timothy A. Stewart of Harvard University
to carry a specific gene
called an activated oncogene
.
Metabolic supermice
are the creation of a team of American
scientists led by Richard Hanson, professor of biochemistry
at Case Western Reserve University
at Cleveland, Ohio
. The aim of the research was to gain a greater understanding of the PEPCK-C enzyme, which is present mainly in the liver
and kidney
s.
is a rat with a single gene disruption used for academic and pharmaceutical research.
is a trademark
name for a high-strength based fiber material made of the recombinant spider silk
-like protein extracted from the milk of transgenic goat
s, made by Nexia Biotechnologies. The company has successfully generated distinct lines of goats that produce in their milk recombinant versions of either the MaSpI or MaSpII dragline silk proteins, respectively.
is the trademark for a genetically modified
line of Yorkshire pigs with the capability to digest plant phosphorus more efficiently than ordinary unmodified pigs that was developed at the University of Guelph
. Enviropigs produce the enzyme phytase
in the salivary glands that is secreted in the saliva.
In 2006 the scientists from National Taiwan University's Department of Animal Science and Technology managed to breed three green-glowing pigs. *BBC NEWS link to this fact
was the first genetically modified or transgenic
bovine in the world. The announcement of Herman's creation caused an ethical
storm.
(short for Ruby Puppy) is the world's first Genetically modified dog. A cloned beagle
, Ruppy and four other beagles produce a fluorescent protein that glows red upon excitation with ultraviolet light.
announced that they had successfully transferred a gene into a primate
species (marmoset
s) and produced a stable line of breeding transgenic primates for the first time. It is hoped that this will aid research into human diseases that cannot be studied in mice, for example Huntington's disease
and stroke
s.
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s that have been genetically engineered
Genetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
. They are an important category of genetically modified organism
Genetically modified organism
A genetically modified organism or genetically engineered organism is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one...
s. The majority of research involving genetically modified mammals involves mice with attempts to produce knockout animals in other mammalian species limited by the inability to derive and stably culture embryonic stem cells.
Usage
The majority of genetically modified mammals are used in research to investigate changes in phenotypePhenotype
A phenotype is an organism's observable characteristics or traits: such as its morphology, development, biochemical or physiological properties, behavior, and products of behavior...
when specific genes are altered. This can be used to discover the function of an unknown gene, any genetic interactions that occur or where the gene is expressed
Gene expression
Gene expression is the process by which information from a gene is used in the synthesis of a functional gene product. These products are often proteins, but in non-protein coding genes such as ribosomal RNA , transfer RNA or small nuclear RNA genes, the product is a functional RNA...
. Genetic modification can also produce mammals that are susceptible to certain compounds or stresses for testing in biomedical research. Some genetically modified mammals are used as models
Animal model
An animal model is a living, non-human animal used during the research and investigation of human disease, for the purpose of better understanding the disease without the added risk of causing harm to an actual human being during the process...
of human diseases and potential treatments and cures can first be tested on them. Other mammals have been engineered with aim of potentially increasing there use to medicine and industry. These possibilities include pigs expressing human antigens aiming to increasing the success of xenotransplantation
Xenotransplantation
Xenotransplantation , is the transplantation of living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another. Such cells, tissues or organs are called xenografts or xenotransplants...
to lactating mammals expressing useful proteins in their milk.
Genetically modified mice
Genetically modified mice are often used to study cellular and tissue-specific responses to disease (cf knockout mouseKnockout mouse
A knockout mouse is a genetically engineered mouse in which researchers have inactivated, or "knocked out," an existing gene by replacing it or disrupting it with an artificial piece of DNA...
). This is possible since mice can be created with the same mutation
Mutation
In molecular biology and genetics, mutations are changes in a genomic sequence: the DNA sequence of a cell's genome or the DNA or RNA sequence of a virus. They can be defined as sudden and spontaneous changes in the cell. Mutations are caused by radiation, viruses, transposons and mutagenic...
s that occur in human genetic disorder
Genetic disorder
A genetic disorder is an illness caused by abnormalities in genes or chromosomes, especially a condition that is present from before birth. Most genetic disorders are quite rare and affect one person in every several thousands or millions....
s, the production of the human disease in these mice then allows treatments to be tested.
The oncomouse
Oncomouse
The OncoMouse or Harvard mouse is a type of laboratory mouse that has been genetically modified using modifications designed by Philip Leder and Timothy A Stewart of Harvard University to carry a specific gene called an activated oncogene. The activated oncogene significantly increases the mouse’s...
is a type of laboratory mouse that has been genetically modified
Genetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
using modifications designed by Philip Leder
Philip Leder
Philip Leder is an American geneticist. He was born in Washington, D.C. and studied at Harvard University, graduating in 1956. In 1960, he graduated from Harvard Medical School....
and Timothy A. Stewart of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
to carry a specific gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
called an activated oncogene
Oncogene
An oncogene is a gene that has the potential to cause cancer. In tumor cells, they are often mutated or expressed at high levels.An oncogene is a gene found in the chromosomes of tumor cells whose activation is associated with the initial and continuing conversion of normal cells into cancer...
.
Metabolic supermice
Metabolic supermice
Metabolic supermice are mice which as a result of genetic modification have up to 100 times the concentration of the PEPCK-C enzyme in their muscles, compared to ordinary mice....
are the creation of a team of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
scientists led by Richard Hanson, professor of biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
at Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
at Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. The aim of the research was to gain a greater understanding of the PEPCK-C enzyme, which is present mainly in the liver
Liver
The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
and kidney
Kidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
s.
Genetically modified rats
A knockout ratKnockout rat
A knockout rat is a genetically engineered rat with a single gene turned off through a targeted mutation used for academic and pharmaceutical research. Knockout rats can mimic human diseases and are important tools for studying gene function and for drug discovery and development...
is a rat with a single gene disruption used for academic and pharmaceutical research.
Genetically modified goats
BioSteelBioSteel
BioSteel is a trademark name for a high-strength based fiber material made of the recombinant spider silk-like protein extracted from the milk of transgenic goats, made by Nexia Biotechnologies....
is a trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
name for a high-strength based fiber material made of the recombinant spider silk
Spider silk
Spider silk is a protein fiber spun by spiders. Spiders use their silk to make webs or other structures, which function as nets to catch other animals, or as nests or cocoons for protection for their offspring...
-like protein extracted from the milk of transgenic goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s, made by Nexia Biotechnologies. The company has successfully generated distinct lines of goats that produce in their milk recombinant versions of either the MaSpI or MaSpII dragline silk proteins, respectively.
Genetically modified pigs
The enviropigEnviropig
The Enviropig is the trademark for a genetically modified line of Yorkshire pigs with the capability to digest plant phosphorus more efficiently than ordinary unmodified pigs that was developed at the University of Guelph. Enviropigs produce the enzyme phytase in the salivary glands that is...
is the trademark for a genetically modified
Genetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
line of Yorkshire pigs with the capability to digest plant phosphorus more efficiently than ordinary unmodified pigs that was developed at the University of Guelph
University of Guelph
The University of Guelph, also known as U of G, is a comprehensive public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College, the Macdonald Institute, and the Ontario Veterinary College...
. Enviropigs produce the enzyme phytase
Phytase
A phytase is any type of phosphatase enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of phytic acid --an undigestible, organic form of phosphorus that is found in grains and oil seeds-- and releases a usable form of inorganic phosphorus...
in the salivary glands that is secreted in the saliva.
In 2006 the scientists from National Taiwan University's Department of Animal Science and Technology managed to breed three green-glowing pigs. *BBC NEWS link to this fact
Genetically modified cattle
Herman the BullHerman the Bull
Herman the Bull was the first genetically modified or transgenic bovine in the world. The announcement of Herman's creation caused an ethical storm.-Life:...
was the first genetically modified or transgenic
Genetically modified organism
A genetically modified organism or genetically engineered organism is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one...
bovine in the world. The announcement of Herman's creation caused an ethical
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
storm.
Genetically modified dogs
RuppyRuppy
Ruppy is the world's first transgenic dog . A cloned beagle, Ruppy and four other beagles produce a fluorescent protein that glows red upon excitation with ultraviolet light . Ruppy was created in 2009 by a group of scientists in South Korea, led by Byeong-Chun Lee...
(short for Ruby Puppy) is the world's first Genetically modified dog. A cloned beagle
Beagle
The Beagle is a breed of small to medium-sized dog. A member of the Hound Group, it is similar in appearance to the Foxhound, but smaller, with shorter legs and longer, softer ears. Beagles are scent hounds, developed primarily for tracking hare, rabbit, and other game...
, Ruppy and four other beagles produce a fluorescent protein that glows red upon excitation with ultraviolet light.
Genetically modified primates
In 2009 scientists in JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
announced that they had successfully transferred a gene into a primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
species (marmoset
Marmoset
Marmosets are the 22 New World monkey species of the genera Callithrix, Cebuella, Callibella, and Mico. All four genera are part of the biological family Callitrichidae. The term marmoset is also used in reference to the Goeldi's Monkey, Callimico goeldii, which is closely related.Most marmosets...
s) and produced a stable line of breeding transgenic primates for the first time. It is hoped that this will aid research into human diseases that cannot be studied in mice, for example Huntington's disease
Huntington's disease
Huntington's disease, chorea, or disorder , is a neurodegenerative genetic disorder that affects muscle coordination and leads to cognitive decline and dementia. It typically becomes noticeable in middle age. HD is the most common genetic cause of abnormal involuntary writhing movements called chorea...
and stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
s.