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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #222887
Title: Transgenic Farm Animals

Author
item Solomon, Morse
item Eastridge, Janet
item Paroczay, Ernest

Submitted to: Complete Book
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/5/2008
Publication Date: 8/8/2008
Citation: Solomon, M.B., Eastridge, J.S., Paroczay, E.W. 2008. Transgenic Farm Animals. In: Toldra, F., editor. Meat Biotechnology. New York, NY: Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. p. 3-20.

Interpretive Summary: In the past years, transgenic research has been used to alter carcass composition, increase milk production, enhance disease resistance, and reduce the excretion of phosphate from pigs. The success of this research has been dependent upon the techniques used to create transgenic animals. Improving the efficiency of the nuclear transfer technique will distinctly reduce the cost of producing transgenic animals and increase the efficiency of producing them. The potential for the manipulation of growth and composition of farm animals has never been greater than at present due to the wide array of strategies for altering the balance between lean, fat and bone. Discoveries of gene manipulation techniques (transgenic animals), and cloning offer a wide range of strategies. Eating quality and food safety must not be compromised as meat animals are designed and developed using these biotechnological approaches.

Technical Abstract: The development of recombinant DNA technology has enabled scientists to isolate single genes, analyze and modify their nucleotide structure(s), make copies of these isolated genes, and insert copies of these genes into the genome of plants and animals. The transgenic technology of adding genes to livestock species has been widely adopted because it is technically straightforward, although it is not efficient. The primary goal of transgenesis is to establish a new genetic line of animals in which the trait(s) of concern are stably transmitted to succeeding generations. Not all injected eggs will develop into transgenic animals and not all transgenic animals will express the transgene in the desired manner. Eating quality and food safety must not be compromised as meat animals are designed and developed using these biotechnological approaches.