The monkeys that glow in the dark: the creation of a transgenic primate
July 1, 2010 in NEWS by Suzanne Elvidge
Researchers in Japan have made a major breakthrough – they created a genetically-modified marmoset that was able to pass on an inserted gene to the next generation. These common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) are the world’s first transgenic primates.
Five young transgenic marmosets
In the study, published in Nature in May 2009, the researchers, at the Central Institute for Experimental Animals, inserted the green fluorescent protein (GFP), a florescent protein isolated from a jellyfish, into the embryos using a viral vector. These transgenic embryos were implanted into seven surrogate mothers. Unfortunately, three of the females miscarried, but four went to term, and gave birth to a total of five marmosets, including one pair of twins called Kei and Kou (keikou is Japanese for fluorescence). Each baby marmoset carried the GFP gene, shown by the fact that their skin glowed under ultraviolet light.
In two of the five young marmosets, the germline cells expressed the GFP gene, and these marmosets successfully passed the gene onto the next generation when crossed (in vitro) with wild-type marmosets.
This technique could be used to create more accurate and representative primate disease models, including models for neurological and behavioural disorders, meaning that fewer animals need to be used for in vivo studies. However, the research, as the first time that the primate gene has been engineered in a way that the changes can be inherited, is likely to fuel bioethical debate, as there will be concerns that it is the next step towards creating genetically modified humans.
Researchers in Japan have made a major breakthrough – they created a genetically-modified marmoset that was able to pass on an inserted gene to the next generation. These common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) are the world’s first transgenic primates.
In the study, published in Nature in May 2009, the researchers, at the Central Institute for Experimental Animals, inserted the green fluorescent protein (GFP), a florescent protein isolated from a jellyfish, into the embryos using a viral vector. These transgenic embryos were implanted into seven surrogate mothers. Unfortunately, three of the females miscarried, but four went to term, and gave birth to a total of five marmosets, including one pair of twins called Kei and Kou (keikou is Japanese for fluorescence). Each baby marmoset carried the GFP gene, shown by the fact that their skin glowed under ultraviolet light.
In two of the five young marmosets, the germline cells expressed the GFP gene, and these marmosets successfully passed the gene onto the next generation when crossed (in vitro) with wild-type marmosets.
This technique could be used to create more accurate and representative primate disease models, including models for neurological and behavioural disorders, meaning that fewer animals need to be used for in vivo studies. However, the research, as the first time that the primate gene has been engineered in a way that the changes can be inherited, is likely to fuel bioethical debate, as there will be concerns that it is the next step towards creating genetically modified humans.
