India’s First Auto-Transgenic Fish
June 25, 2009 by Grace Ibay
Filed under Health
Indian scientists are on their way to creating a different kind of transgenic fish. This fish, a popular variety of carp known as rohu, matures twice as fast and bears more eggs than the regular carp. Extensive tests need to be conducted on it before scientists can release it for production. Not needed, say the creators because it’s not the the usual kind of transgenic organism.
Genetically modified plants or animals are known to have genomes bearing foreign genes. One such example is the GloFish, which has a set of genes from other organisms that have been combined to create a new set of genes that make the fish glow. Another example is the transgenic maize Bt corn, which has a bacterial gene inserted into its genome.
Transgenic organisms like these need to be tested for bio-safety and ecological impact in the field because of the potential risk that these foreign genes may have.
But scientists at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in New Delhi say their carp is different. The carp is auto-transgenic, meaning the inserted genes are modified using inherent carp genes from within the species. There are no “foreign genes” to speak of and so there is no need to test its biosafety.
India’s department of biotechnology will test the fish but a scientist cautiously commented that there is no likely toxic protein produced from this modified carp.
via: Livemint
Image: Flick
