Argentine scientists have edited the genes in an equine embryo, which may allow them to create horses with customized DNA. Dr. Natalia Lucia led the team that used the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) technique to genetically alter the cells that then were used to create edited cloned embryos, reports EQUUS magazine.
CRISPR uses bacteria's natural ability to use ribonucleic acid (RNA) to recognize and delete specific DNA sequences found in viruses, destroying the virus and protecting the bacteria from infection. CRISPR has been used to develop mold-resistant crops and cancer-fighting drugs.
The research team removed the myostatin gene from three lines of fetal fibroblast cells. This gene controls muscle composition and growth. When the gene is “downregulated,” the horse will have more muscle mass and be able to run shorter distances faster.
The cells were then used as donors to generate cloned embryos. The embryos were then cultured in-vitro until they were blastocysts and removal of the myostatin gene was confirmed. The embryos were not implanted into mares.
There is little risk of knocking out an unintended gene, the research team reports.
The end-goal of gene editing is to identify advantageous genes found in some horses and incorporate them into other horses to garner the desired characteristics. Additionally, scientists say they will be able to remove or edit disease-causing genes.
Read more at EQUUS magazine.
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