Chinese and British scientists have created genetically modified piglets that are low in subcutaneous fat. The study is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Live Science reports.
The team received 12 healthy piglets, each with an average of 24 percent less subcutaneous fat than normal pigs.
The animals were modified using CRISPR / Cas9 technology, thanks to which the UPC1 gene, which is responsible for thermoregulation, appeared in piglets. This unit of inheritance is present in most mammals, but pigs do not. Pigs received UPC1 from mice.
After reaching six months, 12 genetically modified piglets were killed in order to analyze the condition of the animals, which, as the scientists note, were healthy. In addition, one male managed to mate, resulting in healthy offspring.
“People like to eat pork with less fatty, leaner meat,” says Jianguo Zhao of the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. The expert is confident that the genetic modification of animals did not affect the taste of the meat.