Genetics brought a breed of slender frost-resistant pigs
Use the system for genome editing CRISPR, Chinese geneticists have deduced breed of a low-fat pigs, easily survives the cold.
In the genome of pig meat breed introduced gene UCP1, disappeared from the DNA of the ancestors of modern domestic pigs 20 million years ago. The protein encoded by this gene is involved in the thermoregulation process, thanks to him, animals effectively burn fat and maintain body temperature in the cold.
Genetically modified pigs to grow slim and fit.
It would seem that this is not quite what the producers of bacon — but this is economically justified: first, farmers can spend less energy for space heating, and second, slender pigs grow faster than their fat cousins, so in order to gain the desired muscle mass, they need less food.
Conventional pigs fat is around 20% of body weight, GM pigs is only 15%, but meat from GM animals was as much as 53% (ordinary pigs — 50%). In addition, GM pigs lighter than usual, underwent an experiment in which animals 4 hours left in a cold room.
It is unknown whether genetically modified pork is better or worse than usual on organoleptic qualities.
The layer of subcutaneous fat in GM pigs was thinner than normal but the fat content in the muscle tissue (namely the fat determines the taste of the meat) artificially introduced gene should not influence, explain the authors. To verify this, scientists are going to bring a new GM pigs — the first 12 have grown.