APPLICATIONS OF GM ANIMALS...........pptx

1. APPLICATIONS
OF GM ANIMALS
Submitted by,
Adhithya Madhavan K S
Roll no :2
M.Sc. Botany
Submitted to,
Dr . Liza Jacob
Associate professor
Department of Botany

2. What are Transgenic Animals?
• Transgenic animals are the animals with the modified genome.
• A foreign gene is inserted into the genome of the animal to alter its DNA.
• This method is done to improve the genetic traits of the target animal.
• The foreign gene that is introduced is known as the transgene, and the
animal whose genome is altered is known as transgenic.
• These genes are passed on to the successive generations.

3. • The transgenic animals are genetically engineered and are
also known as genetically modified organisms (GMO)
• The first genetically modified organism was engineered in
the year 1980.
• Pigs, chickens, cows, fish, and mosquitoes are some of the
genetically modified animals produced by scientist
• In these animals, the embryo is genetically altered by the
gene of interest, and the resulting animal produces more
milk and meat, prevents diseases, etc.

4. Methods for Creating Transgenic
Animals
Physical Transfection
• In this method, the gene of interest is directly injected
into the pronucleus of a fertilized ovum.
• It is the very first method that proved to be effective in
mammals.
• This method was applicable to a wide variety of
species.
• Other methods of physical transfection include
particle bombardment, ultrasound and electroporation.

5. Chemical Transfection
• One of the chemical methods of gene transfection includes transformation.
• In this method, the target DNA is taken up in the presence of calcium phosphate.
• The DNA and calcium phosphate co-precipitates, which facilitates DNA uptake.
• The mammalian cells possess the ability to take up foreign DNA from the
culture medium.

6. Retrovirus-Mediated Gene Transfer
• To increase the chances of expression, the gene is transferred by means of a
vector.
• Since retroviruses have the ability to infect the host cell, they are used as
vectors to transfect the gene of interest into the target genome.
Viral Vectors
• Viruses are used to transfect rDNA into the animal cell. The viruses possess
the ability to infect the host cell, express well and replicate efficiently.

7. Examples of Transgenic Animals
Dolly Sheep
• Dolly the sheep was the first mammal to be cloned from an adult
cell.
• In this, the udder cells from a 6-year-old Finn Dorset white
sheep were injected into an unfertilized egg from a Scottish
Blackface ewe, which had its nucleus removed.
• The cell was made to fuse by electrical pulses.
• After the fusion of the nucleus of the cell with the egg, the
resultant embryo was cultured for six to seven days.
• It was then implanted into another Scottish Blackface ewe which
gave birth to the transgenic sheep, Dolly.

8. Transgenic Mice
• Transgenic mice are developed by injecting DNA into the oocytes or 1-2
celled embryos taken from female mice.
• After injecting the DNA, the embryo is implanted into the uterus of receptive
females.

9. APPLICATIONS OF GM ANIMALS
IN BASIC RESEARCH
• Genetically modified (GM) animals have a wide range of applications in
basic research, enabling scientists to study various biological
processes, diseases, and developmental mechanisms in ways that
were not possible before.
• Disease Modelling
• Gene Function Studies
• Developmental Biology

10. Disease Modeling:
• GM animals can be engineered to mimic human diseases, allowing researchers to
study disease progression, develop treatments, and understand underlying
mechanisms.
• For example, mice can be modified to develop symptoms similar to Parkinson's
disease, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, diabetes, and many other conditions.
• These models help researchers understand the genetic basis of diseases and test
potential therapies.

11. Gene Function Studies:
• By creating animals with specific genes knocked out (gene knockout) or
overexpressed (gene overexpression), scientists can determine the functions of
these genes in vivo.
• This approach is particularly useful for studying genes with unknown functions or
those implicated in diseases.
• For instance, researchers can create knockout mice lacking a particular gene to
observe the effects on development, behavior, or physiology.

12. Developmental Biology:
• GM animals are valuable tools for studying embryonic development and
organogenesis.
• By manipulating gene expression during embryonic development,
researchers can investigate the roles of specific genes in the formation of
tissues and organs.
• This research provides insights into normal development as well as the
causes of developmental disorders.

13. IN PRODUCING NOVEL PROTEIN
Transgenic animals were initially recognized as a novel platform for the
production of recombinant drug products for a number of reasons:
• It was demonstrated that transgenic approaches could reliably and safely
express novel proteins due to the unique nature of the mammary gland’s
capacity for production of complex molecules.
• Ability to produce significantly greater amounts of protein with higher
expression levels and volume output than the traditional protein culture
systems

14. • Transgenics demonstrated the potential for a significant reduction in the cost per
unit protein due to the animal being the true “bioreactor,” requiring less
complicated monitoring and industrial hardware than a traditional recombinant
cell culture system
• Genetically engineered animals held out the possibility of developing safer and
more sustainable and flexible manufacturing sources for vital human protein
replacements and blood products.

15. FOR DISEASE STUDIES
• The recent sequencing of the human and mouse genomes has revealed
remarkable similarities.
• Ninety-nine percent of the genes in these two genomes have direct counterparts
in the two species, although they have slightly different structures and functions.
• Because of this, the mouse is used as a model for research on human diseases.
• In GM models, detailed analyses of the development, physiology and
biochemistry of a particular disease can be related to a specific gene or group of
gene.

16. • It then becomes possible to understand the often complex relationship
between the gene and the disease process.
• The animals that are used most frequently to model the genetics of human
disease are the mouse, rat and zebrafish

17. Disease models in the mouse
• Gene dysfunction is at the root of all genetically determined disease processes.
• Checking how often mouse mutants reproduce the effect of mutations in the
corresponding human gene, it is possible to assess the utility and relevance of
disease models.
1) Diabetes:
• Mutations in the glucokinase gene in humans lead to a form of type II diabetes.
• Mutations in the glucokinase gene in the mouse also develop a type II diabetes,
very similar to that seen in humans.
• These mutants provide a useful model to investigate the relationship between
mutations in the glucokinase gene and the pathogenesis and severity of the
disease

18. 2) Human Immunodeficiency Virus/ Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome:
• Tg26 HIVAN Mouse Model was the first transgenic model developed in 1991 for
HIV.
• These transgenic animals can express HIV-1 proteins; develop symptoms and
immune deficiencies similar to the manifestations of AIDS in humans.
3) Cancer diseases:
• Oncomouse was first transgenic animal to be patented.
• Its germ cells and somatic cells contain an activated human oncogene sequence
introduced into the animal at an early embryonic stage to ensure that the oncogene
is present in all the animal cells.

19. For prevention and cure diseases
• Genetically modified (GM) animals hold significant potential for the prevention of
diseases through various approaches, including vaccine production, disease-
resistant animals, and gene editing technologies.
• Vaccine Production:
• GM animals can be engineered to produce vaccines against specific diseases.
• For example, researchers can introduce genes encoding antigens from pathogens
into the genome of animals such as goats, chickens, or pigs.

20. • These animals then produce the antigens in their milk, eggs, or blood, which can
be collected and used to manufacture vaccines.
• GM animals can be designed to produce edible vaccines
• the antigen is expressed in an edible part of the plant or animal, offering a
convenient and needle-free vaccination method.
• For example, measles vaccine is grown in chick embryo cells and polio vaccines
are grown in a mouse cell line.
• Another animal cell line, now being used to make egg-free flu vaccine, was
derived in 1958 from the kidney of a cocker spaniel.

21. Disease-Resistant Animals:
• Through genetic engineering, animals can be made resistant to specific
diseases.
• For example, pigs have been genetically modified to be resistant to porcine
reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), a highly contagious and
economically significant disease in the swine industry.
• Disease-resistant GM animals also have implications for human health by
reducing the risk of zoonotic diseases, which can transmit from animals to
humans.

22. Gene Editing Technologies:
• gene editing technologies, such as CRISPR-Cas9, have revolutionized the field of
genetic engineering and opened up new possibilities for disease prevention in
animals.
• CRISPR-based techniques allow precise modification of the animal genome to
introduce or remove specific genes associated with disease susceptibility.
• For example, researchers have used CRISPR-Cas9 to create mosquitoes resistant
to malaria by altering genes involved in the parasite's lifecycle or in the mosquito's
immune response.

23. THANK YOU