A Certain "FISH" in Transgenic Pig Breeding

In transgenic pig herd expansion, only those animals capable of transmitting the transgene into the next generation are considered for breeding. However, there is still no screening program being conducted to identify individuals suitable for breeding. Hence, a pre-breeding screening program is a must. It would make the transgenic herd expansion more economical and efficient. A three-step pre-breeding screening program for transgenic boars is being proposed to select pigs through  fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay combined with common pre-breeding screening processes.

The first step combines a general transgenic phenotype analysis with FISH to identify the transgenic boars. Individuals producing high quality semen and transgenic sperm are then identified through the combination of the conventional semen test and FISH. The in vitro fertilization embryos are then put through to the third step of screening: identifying the individuals capable of producing transgenic embryos through FISH.

Through this screening program, the non-transgenic boars and those with no ability to produce transgenic sperm or transgenic embryos would be eliminated and only those capable of producing transgenic offspring are maintained and used for breeding and herd expansion. Aside from pigs, this program can also be applied to other large animals, and provide an economical and efficient strategy for transgenic herd expansion.

If you want to learn more of this new program, visit http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11248-014-9801-4/fulltext.html.