detail about transgenic animals....

1. TRANSGENIC ANIMALS
By: Kashikant Yadav
M Pharm (pharmacology)
ykashikant@gmail.com

2. Definition
• one whose genome has been changed to carry
genes from other species.
• According to FELAA
an animal in which there has been a
deliberate modification of its genome.
• DNA manipulated

3. Examples of Transgenic Animals
• Mouse
• Goat
• Sheep
• Rabbit
• Cow
• Fish
• Dogs
• Horse
• Guinea Pigs

4. Why transgenic animals being
produced?
i. Specific economic traits
 α-1 anti-trypsin for treatment of human
Emphysema
 α lactalbumin
ii. Disease models
 effective treatment studied

5. How are transgenic animals
produced?
• Principle: Introduction of a foreign gene or
genes into an animal (Transgenes)
• The foreign genes “must be transmitted
through the germ line, so that every cell,
including germ cells, of the animal contain the
same modified genetic material

6. Three basic methods of producing
transgenic animals:
i. DNA microinjection
ii. Retrovirus-mediated gene transfer
iii. Embryonic stem cell-mediated gene transfer

7. DNA microinjection

8. Retrovirus-mediated gene transfer

9. Embryonic stem cell-mediated gene
transfer

10. Maintenance of Transgenic Animals
• Housing
• feeding
• ventilation
• lighting
• sanitation and
• routine management practices

11. • special care has to be taken with
transgenic/gene knockout animals
• the animals can be susceptible to diseases due
to altered metabolic activities.
• The transgenic and knockout animals should
be maintained in clean room environment or in
animal isolations.

12. Application of Transgenic Animals
i. Agricultural Applications
a) Breeding :eg. increased milk production, high growth rate
b) Quality : produce more milk or milk with less lactose or cholesterol,
pigs and cattle that have more meat on them and
sheep that grow more wool
c) Disease resistance : to produce disease-resistant animals, such as influenza-
resistant pigs
ii. Medical Applications
a) Xeno-transplantation : eg. Transgenic pigs
b) Nutritional supplements and pharmaceuticals : insulin, growth hormone,
and blood anti-clotting factors are obtained from the milk of transgenic
cows, sheep, or goats

13. c) Human gene therap: adding a normal copy of a gene (transgene) to the
genome of a person carrying defective copies of the gene.
eg. calf with a gene that makes the substance that promotes the growth of red
cells in humans.
iii. Industrial Applications
 The goats began to manufacture silk along with their milk and secrete tiny
silk
 chemical safety testing

14. Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages
• Increase the growth rate
• Improve the disease resistance
• Improve the food conversion rate
• Increase the muscle mass
• Improve the nutritional value
• Improve the wool quality
Disadvantages
• Inserted gene has multiple function
• Breeding problem
• Some time leads to mutagenesis and functional disorder
• Low survival rate of transgenic animal