CHINA: Peng Peng the sheep heralds new era of cloning

Record ID: 854720

  • Title: CHINA: Peng Peng the sheep heralds new era of cloning
  • Date: 26th April 2012
  • Summary: SHENZHEN, GUANGDONG PROVINCE, CHINA (APRIL 23, 2012) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROJECT LEADER AND DIRECTOR OF BGI ARK BIOTECHNOLOGY COMPANY LIMITED, DU YUTAO, SAYING: "Actually Chinese government are quite encouraging the transgenic project in China. Of course we need to have better method, better ressults, to prove that this transgenic adult plants or animals are harmless and safe and good for consumption. I think that's very crucial."
  • Embargoed: 11th May 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China, China
  • City:
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Science
  • Reuters ID: LVA1W07HMCQBNZ0WD6FN9FURBJJP
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: "Peng Peng", a Chinese Merino sheep containing a roundworm fat gene, weighed in at 5.74 kg when he was born on March 26 in a laboratory in China's far western region of Xinjiang.
    The scientists inserted the gene - linked to the production of polyunsaturated fatty acids - into a donor cell taken from the ear of another Chinese Merino, said project leader Du Yutao of BGI Ark Biotechnology Co.
    "Yeah, actually we find a gene named 'fat-one' which was originally derived from c. elegan (roundworm), which has been proved to be very good for human health because it improves the unsaturated fatty acid. We put this gene, actually, into the somatic cell of a Merino sheep, and then we use this transgenic somatic cell as a donor cell for handmade cloning," Du said.
    The cell was then inserted into an unfertilised egg and implanted into the womb of a surrogate sheep.
    Handmade cloning is an emerging technique that is becoming popular among cloning scientists. Unlike conventional cloning, it can be carried out in the field without the need for expensive laboratory equipment or technicians. In the rudimentary laboratory environment of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region of China where Peng Peng was produced, handmade cloning was seen as the only viable method.
    Du says that "Peng Peng" is in good health.
    China, which has to feed 22 percent of the world's population but has only seven percent of the world's arable land, has devoted plenty of resources in recent years to increasing domestic production of grains, meat and other food products.
    But there are concerns about the safety of genetically modified foods and it will be some years before meat from such transgenic animals finds its way into Chinese food markets.
    "Actually Chinese government are quite encouraging the transgenic project in China. Of course we need to have better method, better results, to prove that this transgenic adult plants or animals are harmless and safe and good for consumption. I think that's very crucial," Du said.
    The scientists say the creation of Peng Peng may lead to healthier and better quality meat and milk. The gene he carries is associated with the production of fatty acids regarded as important in lowering cholesterol levels and reducing the chances coronary disease.
    Apart from BGI, other collaborators in the project were the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Shihezi University in Xinjiang.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register