How these Gene-edited pigs might help solved swine infection worldwide

Date:

Scientists produced pigs though gene editing that may be immune to swine infection that costs billions each year to the industry.

The research team has used advanced genetic editing techniques to produce pigs that are potentially resilient to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS).

Early tests have revealed that cells from the pigs are completely resistant to infection with both major subtypes of the virus that causes the disease.

The pigs are otherwise healthy and the gene-editing technology should not affect their ability to fight off other major viral infections, the researchers say.

Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome causes severe breathing problems in piglets and breeding failures in pregnant sows.

Studies revealed that PRRS virus attacks immune cells called macrophages. A molecule on the surface of these cells called CD163 plays a key role in enabling the PRRS virus to establish an infection.

The research team at the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute, in collaboration with Genus, used a gene-editing tool called CRISPR/Cas9 to cut out a small section of the CD163 gene in the pigs’ DNA code.

The University of Edinburgh team have used advanced genetic techniques to produce pigs that are potentially resilient to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS). Credit: Norrie Russell, The Roslin Institute

Laboratory tests of cells from the pigs with the modified CD163 gene have confirmed that this change in the pig’s DNA blocks the virus from being able to cause infection.

The next stage in the study will be to test whether the pigs are resistant to infection when exposed to the virus.

Prior studies by another research team also produced pigs that are deficient of the entire CD163 molecule, and which don’t become ill when exposed to the said virus.

In recent studies, only the section of CD163 that interacts with Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus is removed and the molecule appears to retain its other functions.

PRRS Virus is endemic in most swine producing countries around the world. Most of the vaccines have failed to prevent the spreading of the disease, which continues to evolve quickly.

As a result, it is one of the utmost challenges facing pig producers of today. In Europe alone, the disease is estimated to cost the livestock industry more than €1.5 billion each year.

Head researcher Professor Alan Archibald said: “Genome-editing offers opportunities to boost food security by reducing waste and losses from infectious diseases, as well as improving animal welfare by reducing the burden of disease. Our results take us closer to realizing these benefits and specifically address the most important infectious disease problem for the pig industry worldwide.”

Source via phys.org, Plos Pathogens, journal sources, Professor Alan L. Archibald FRSE

Popular

Share post:

More like this
Related

World’s Most Popular Dinosaur Fossils Discovered

Who would have thought that dinosaurs lived in this...

Know the World’s Most Weird Phobias: Severe Fears

Almost everyone has an irrational fear or two—of mice,...

10 of the Greatest inventors killed by their own inventions/Experiments

These are the great people whose discoveries have changed...

This Rare ‘Quadruple’ Rainbow Photo Goes Viral

The internet was abuzz after a netizen shared a...

Rarest Mental Disorders in the World

Think of rare mental diseases? You might not have...

10 Most Amazing Things Discovered in Outer Space

The outer space is something that always makes humans...

10 Explanations for The Bermuda Triangle: Facts or Myth?

The Bermuda Triangle is one of the most famous,...

Few Weeks Old Baby Jumping Shows the Real Humanity of the Unborn

Having a baby is one of the most magical...

Shocking Video: Lightning strikes a Delta flight landing in Atlanta

These recent years, aviation accidents occur more often gaining...

10 of the World’s Most Popular Unsolved Mysteries

Our world is indeed filled with a lot of...

Science Babe Slams ‘Food Babe’ Blogger Goes Viral: Who Wins the Food Battle?

There are so many issues about the food we...

10 of the Most Famous Facts that are Actually Wrong

Nothing beats a good dose of myth busting –...

5 everyday things you probably didn’t know were invented by NASA

When it comes to out-this-world discoveries, literally and figuratively,...

Useful & Awesome Inventions

Human race has been blessed with pioneering inventions from...

Popular Science Myths Circulating Around Us

(Myths and Reality) Science and technology are, without a...