An Ethical Assessment of Cisgenesis in Breeding Late Blight Resistant Potato

Because of objections and worries related to genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the approval of GMO crops is a long and expensive process. Recently some researchers argued that a specific form of genetic modification, cisgenesis, would be safer and ethically more acceptable and therefore require a less stringent assessment. In this paper cisgenesis, as defined in recent literature, is ethically evaluated. After some general remarks on ethics in science and technology, two different basic attitudes towards reality are sketched as an evaluative framework for interventions in nature. Combined with general characteristics of biotechnology in agriculture and a view of the role of genetic information in organisms, that framework helps to formulate an ethical distinction between and evaluation of cisgenesis and transgenesis. It is argued that there is a significant ethical difference between transgenesis and cisgenesis, but that nevertheless any form of genetic modification should be integrated in a broader normative understanding of agriculture in order to work towards a more sustainable agriculture.

The role of genetic engineering in livestock production

In this paper we discuss the use of genetic engineering in livestock production. We examine the main two different aspects of genetic engineering: cloning and transgenesis. After commenting what has been expected from both techniques in livestock production in the last 25 years, the practical difficulties for implementing cloning and transgenesis are examined. Apart from technical difficulties, problems derived from the detection of genetically superior animals and evaluation of the clones and the transgenic animals make these techniques less interesting than they appear to be. Most of the observed variability of the economically interesting traits is not genetic, genetic evaluation needs a large number of animals and cloning success will represent a serious loss of genetic variability and the loss of the flexibility needed for markets in constant evolution. There is a risk in transgenic animals of production of new intermediate biochemical products that may be toxic, allergenic or carcinogenic. The benefits produced by transgenic animals hitherto hardly justify this risk. The expectations that genetic engineering produced 25 years ago should be re-examined, considering the risks and the high investment required.     

水牛受精卵胞质内注射转基因的初步研究(英文)

[目的]旨在探讨通过向水牛受精卵胞质内注射外源DNA实现转基因的可行性。[方法]水牛卵母细胞体外成熟20～22h后随机分为2组,①在体外受精7～10或18～20h后向卵胞质内注入约7.5pL50μg/ml含线性EGFP片段的DNA溶液;②则分别注入单个精子与约7.5pL50μg/ml含线性EGFP片段的DNA混合物,观察外源基因在胚胎发育过程中的表达情况。[结果]受精卵胞质内注射的早期胚胎基因表达率、囊胚基因表达率与ICSI-Tr差异不显著(P>0.05),且IVF7～10h时注射的分裂率、早期胚胎基因表达率均显著高于18～20h(P<0.05)。[结论]水牛IVF受精卵胞质内注射外源基因能获得转基因胚胎,且IVF后7～10h注射的效果优于IVF后18～20h注射。     

Transgenic poplar with enhanced growth by introduction of the ugt and acb genes

The transgenic poplar (Populus tremula L.) was obtained by transfer of the ugt and acb genes via triparental mating, which was employed to deliver large fragments of TDNA as a cluster. Freshly harvested seeds of local poplar were placed on MS agar medium and plantlets were obtained. After 1 year of subcultivation, plantlets were infected with a transconjugant of triparental mating with target ugt and acb genes into axillary buds. The transformed sprouts so obtained were cut and subcultivated on agar medium with an addition of 0.6 mg/l indole-3-butyric acid as an auxin source. The transformed sprouts showed GUS activity and resistance to gentamycin and kanamycin. The integrity of the target ugt and acb genes into poplar genome was demonstrated via PCR and Southern blot hybridisation. The transgenic poplar plants revealed a higher growth energy, corresponding to a higher content of IAA as opposed to control plants. Both transgenic and non-transformed plants were potted into soil for outdoor acclimatisation and subsequently transferred to earth in beds. Growing outside during 3 years, the transgenic poplar demonstrated a higher growth rate with fast bud and branch development.     

精子载体转基因技术的最新研究进展

用动物精子作为外源DNA载体已成为转基因的主要方法之一,并在多种动物上获得成功.最近,人们对外源DNA与精子结合的分子机理进行深入研究发现外源DNA可与精子膜上30～35 kDa蛋白质特异结合,结合强度受精子膜上MHCII因子的调节.精清中的IF-1因子能抑制精子结合外源DNA,从而维持物种的遗传稳定性.精子结合外源DNA的量是恒定的,部分DNA能进入精子核内,CD4蛋白具有转运外源DNA进入精子核内的功能.进入核内的外源DNA牢固结合在精子核骨架上,然后整合到染色体的特异位点.但是,精子与外源DNA结合后能激活精子内的核酸酶,进而使外源DNA分子降解,可能是导致这种转基因方法稳定性差的主要原因.     

Overexpression of OCT4A ortholog elevates endogenous XIST in porcine parthenogenic blastocysts

X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) is an epigenetic process that equalizes expression of X-borne genes between male and female eutherians. This process is observed in early eutherian embryo development in a species-specific manner. Until recently, various pluripotent factors have been suggested to regulate the process of XCI by repressing XIST expression, which is the master inducer for XCI. Recent insights into the process and its regulation have been restricted in mouse species despite the evolutionary diversity of the process and molecular mechanism among the species. OCT4A is one of the represented pluripotent factors, the gate-keeper for maintaining pluripotency, and an XIST repressor. Therefore, in here, we examined the relation between OCT4A and X-linked genes in porcine preimplantation embryos. Three X-linked genes, XIST, LOC102165544, and RLIM, were selected in present study because their orthologues have been known to regulate XCI in mice. Expression levels of OCT4A were positively correlated with XIST and LOC102165544 in female blastocysts. Furthermore, overexpression of exogenous human OCT4A in cleaved parthenotes generated blastocysts with increased XIST expression levels. However, increased XIST expression was not observed when exogenous OCT4A was obtained from early blastocysts. These results suggest the possibility that OCT4A would be directly or indirectly involved in XIST expression in earlier stage porcine embryos rather than blastocysts.     

南瓜属作物遗传转化研究进展

南瓜属(Cucurbita)作物包括中国南瓜(C.moschata D.)、印度南瓜(C.maxima D.)和美洲南瓜(C.pepo L.)等许多重要蔬菜,在世界范围内广泛栽培,具有重要的经济价值。目前,南瓜属作物遗传转化技术普遍存在转化效率低、重复性差、假阳性和嵌合体干扰等诸多问题。随着分子生物学的迅猛发展,南瓜属作物遗传改良和基因功能验证亟需建立高效稳定的遗传转化体系。前人在南瓜离体再生、花粉管通道和农杆菌介导等转化方法上做过不少探索,普遍认为以农杆菌介导的子叶节离体再生是最具潜力的转化体系。笔者对现有的研究基础进行综述,为促进其在南瓜属作物遗传改良上的应用提供参考。     

电转染法电压优化与广西巴马小型猪转基因克隆胚胎的生产

本试验旨在优化电转染电压并构建转基因体细胞,为生产转基因广西巴马小型猪打下技术储备。以新生广西巴马小型猪肾脏成纤维细胞和pEGFP-N1为材料、以细胞存活率和转染率为电转染效率评价指标,筛选最佳电压,然后用优化电压进行电转染并经G418抗性筛选获得转基因体细胞系,通过体细胞核移植技术获得转基因克隆胚胎。本研究筛选出最佳电压为120 V,用优化电压进行电转染并成功构建表达GFP的转基因细胞,最后通过体细胞核移植成功获得表达GFP的转基因克隆胚胎。结果表明优化的电转染电压可以高效构建广西巴马小型猪转基因体细胞,并可通过体细胞核移植生产转基因克隆胚胎。     

水牛受精卵胞质内注射转基因的初步研究

[目的]旨在探讨通过向水牛受精卵胞质内注射外源DNA实现转基因的可行性。[方法]水牛卵母细胞体外成熟20～22 h后随机分为2组:①在体外受精7～10 h或18～20 h后向卵胞质内注入约7.5 pl 50μg/ml含线性EGFP片段的DNA溶液;②分别注入单个精子与约7.5 pl 50μg/ml含线性EGFP片段的DNA混合物,观察外源基因在胚胎发育过程中的表达情况。[结果]受精卵胞质内注射的早期胚胎基因表达率、囊胚基因表达率与ICSI-Tr差异不显著(P0.05),且IVF 7～10 h时注射的分裂率、早期胚胎基因表达率均显著高于18～20 h(P0.05)。[结论]水牛IVF受精卵胞质内注射外源基因能获得转基因胚胎,且IVF后7～10 h注射的效果优于IVF后18～20 h注射。     

Transgenic mouse offspring generated by ROSI

The production of transgenic animals is an important tool for experimental and applied biology. Over the years, many approaches for the production of transgenic animals have been tried, including pronuclear microinjection, sperm-mediated gene transfer, transfection of male germ cells, somatic cell nuclear transfer and the use of lentiviral vectors. In the present study, we developed a new transgene delivery approach, and we report for the first time the production of transgenic animals by co-injection of DNA and round spermatid nuclei into non-fertilized mouse oocytes (ROSI). The transgene used was a construct containing the human CMV immediate early promoter and the enhanced GFP gene. With this procedure, 12% of the live offspring we obtained carried the transgene. This efficiency of transgenic production by ROSI was similar to the efficiency by pronuclear injection or intracytoplasmic injection of male gamete nuclei (ICSI). However, ICSI required fewer embryos to produce the same number of transgenic animals. The expression of Egfp mRNA and fluorescence of EGFP were found in the majority of the organs examined in 4 transgenic lines generated by ROSI. Tissue morphology and transgene expression were not distinguishable between transgenic animals produced by ROSI or pronuclear injection. Furthermore, our results are of particular interest because they indicate that the transgene incorporation mediated by intracytoplasmic injection of male gamete nuclei is not an exclusive property of mature sperm cell nuclei with compact chromatin but it can be accomplished with immature sperm cell nuclei with decondensed chromatin as well. The present study also provides alternative procedures for transgene delivery into embryos or reconstituted oocytes.