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MU animal scientist Randall Prather poses with two large
white boars who have been genetically modified to produce
omega-3 fatty acid, which is known to improve cardiovascular
fitness and reduce the risk of heart disease. Steve
Morse photo
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Scientists
Create
Heart-Healthy Pigs
By Christian Basi
Researchers report they have created pigs
that produce omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to improve heart
function and help reduce the risk of heart disease, representing
the first cloned, transgenic livestock in the world that can make
the beneficial compound. The research could be a boost to both
farmers and health-conscious consumers seeking an alternative
and safer source of omega-3 fatty acids. Currently, the only way
for humans to realize the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids is by
taking dietary supplements or by eating certain types of fish
that also contain high levels of mercury.
The results, which are being published by
Nature Biotechnology, are the work of a team assembled
by Yifan Dai of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
that includes researchers from Randy Prather’s group at
the University of Missouri-Columbia National
Swine Research and Resource Center, the laboratory of Jing
X. Kang at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and the laboratories
of Dai and Rhobert Evans at the University of Pittsburgh.
To stimulate production of omega-3 fatty acids
in pigs, a team led by Dai transferred a gene, known as fat-1,
to pig primary fetal fibroblasts, the cells that give rise to
connective tissue. Prather’s group then created the transgenic
pigs from these cells using a method called nuclear transfer cloning.
The transgenic pig tissues were then analyzed for omega-3 fatty
acids in Kang's lab at MGH and by Dai and Evans at Pitt. The fat-1
gene is responsible for creating an enzyme that converts less
desirable, but more abundant, omega-6 fatty acids in the animals
to omega-3 fatty acids. The results could lead to a better understanding
of cardiovascular function not only in pigs, but in humans as
well.
“Pigs and humans have a similar physiology,”
said Prather, distinguished professor of reproductive biology
in Mizzou’s College
of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and a corresponding
author with Dai. “We could use these animals as a model
to see what happens to heart health if we increase the omega-3
levels in the body. It could allow us to see how that helps cardiovascular
function. If these animals are put into the food chain, there
could be other potential benefits. First, the pigs could have
better cardiovascular function and therefore live longer, which
would limit livestock loss for farmers. Second, they could be
healthier animals for human consumption.”
“While fish, especially salmon and tuna,
is one of the best food sources of omega-3 fatty acids, we have
been warned to limit consumption because of high mercury levels,”
said Dai, an associate professor of surgery at the University
of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation
Institute. “These animals could represent an alternative
source as well as be an ideal model for studying cardiovascular
disease and autoimmune disorders.”
“Livestock with a health ratio of omega-3
to omega-6 fatty acids may be a promising way to re-balance the
modern diet without relying solely on diminishing fish supplies
or supplements,” Kang said.
The transgenic pigs were created using technology
developed by Kang of MGH, an associate professor of medicine at
Harvard Medical School and co-lead author with MU’s Liangxue
Lai of the current report. Kang’s group created the first
omega-3 rich mammals (mice) and published that work in Nature
in 2004. Because of this earlier study, Dai initiated the collaboration
with the aim of creating cloned transgenic pigs capable of making
omega-3 fatty acids.
The production of these pigs will now provide
researchers with opportunities to conduct studies not previously
possible. For example, researchers in MU’s College
of Veterinary Medicine Department of Biomedical Sciences now
plan to study the omega-3 pigs. Harold Laughlin, chair of the
MU biomedical sciences department, uses pigs to study the cardiovascular
benefits of exercise because a pig’s cardiovascular system
is similar to a human’s. Now he plans to incorporate these
unique pigs into his research to determine how higher omega-3
levels and exercise could affect the cardiovascular system.
In addition to Prather and Lai at MU, Kang
at MGH and Dai and Evans at Pitt, other authors include Rongfeng
Li, Hwan Yul Yong, Yanhong Ho, David M. Wax, Clifton N. Murphy,
August Rieke, Melissa Samuel, Michael L. Lihville and Scott W.
Korte, all of MU; Jingdong Wang of MGH and Harvard Medical School;
and William T. Witt and Thomas E. Starzl, of the University of
Pittsburgh.
Their research was supported by the National
Institutes of Health, the American
Cancer Society and an unrestricted gift to the Thomas
E. Starzl Transplantation Institute from the Robert E. Eberly
Program for Transplant Innovation.
The findings appeared in the April 6 issue
of Nature Biotechnology.
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April 1, 2008
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