The idea came to the scientists due to the fact that genetically a person and a cat are very close: we have approximately 90% of the gene code coinciding. Cats also suffer from a special type of AIDS. Feline immunodeficiency virus is not transmitted to humans and affects about 2.5% -4.4% of pets. However, HIV is not transmitted to cats either
The authors of the study, published in the journal Nature Methods, tried to create a "platform" for studying genetic resistance to immunodeficiency. They introduced the rhesus monkey gene TRIMcyp into the feline genome, which provides such resistance. To do this, they injected the TSinG retrovirus into cat eggs and spermatozoa through a very thin needle, into which this gene was inserted.
The scientists then fertilized the resulting eggs, raised several embryos and placed them in the womb of five cats. A few weeks later, two surrogate mothers gave birth to three healthy kittens - two boys and one girl. Three other cats either did not accept the foreign embryo or lost it a few weeks after the egg implantation.
The researchers decided to use this particular artificially bred species of cats - the glowing green cat - for one reason: the characteristic fluorescence allows you to track how the foreign gene was "inserted". It was to simulate human genetic diseases on animals that this exotic product of genetic engineering was developed in 2007.
The gene for the green fluorescent protein GFP was first isolated by scientists from the DNA of a marine jellyfish in 1994, and in 2008 the American biologist Martin Chalfi was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this discovery. With the help of the gene, luminous bacteria, rabbits and even dogs were obtained in laboratories. Experimental cats, on the other hand, glow green when illuminated with ultraviolet light, for which they received this name.
In continuation of the experiment with the feline immunodeficiency virus, biologists took several samples of cells from kittens, which inserted the gene of rhesus monkeys, and infected them with feline "AIDS". These cells have shown partial resistance to the immunodeficiency virus.
The authors of the article continued the experiment by crossing the glowing cats with each other. The new generation of kittens has retained all the traits that their transgenic parents possessed. Scientists note that this indicates a high efficiency of the "implantation" of new genes - otherwise, some kittens would lose these signs.
Scientists believe that the vulnerability of transgenic cats to immunodeficiency viruses will allow testing the effectiveness of various combinations of genes that give resistance to different types of this pathogen.
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