Chapter 19 Data ten

Japanese researchers have announced that they have successfully inserted spinach genes into pigs for the first time in the world, combining meat and vegetables in live livestock rather than on dishes."This is the first time a plant gene has worked in a living animal, rather than in a petri dish," said Akira Iriya, a professor of developmental biology at Kinki University. The experiment used the FAD2 gene, which converts saturated fatty acids into unsaturated fatty acids to produce healthier pork.It has been determined that 20% of the saturated fatty acids in the genetically modified pigs have been transformed.

The researchers transplanted the gene into fertilized pig embryos, which were then implanted in the uterus of normal pigs, Iriya said.The survival rate of piglets is only 1%.There is a 50% chance of producing genetically modified piglets when the genetically modified pigs are crossed with normal pigs, and mating between genetically modified pigs ensures that all offspring will carry the spinach gene.