title: Pigs expressing salivary phytase produce low-phosphorus manure.
abstract: To address the problem of manure-based environmental pollution in the pork industry, we have developed the phytase transgenic pig. The saliva of these pigs contains the enzyme phytase, which allows the pigs to digest the phosphorus in phytate, the most abundant source of phosphorus in the pig diet. Without this enzyme, phytate phosphorus passes undigested into manure to become the single most important manure pollutant of pork production. We show here that salivary phytase provides essentially complete digestion of dietary phytate phosphorus, relieves the requirement for inorganic phosphate supplements, and reduces fecal phosphorus output by up to 75%. These pigs offer a unique biological approach to the management of phosphorus nutrition and environmental pollution in the pork industry.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1.
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Golovan
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Meidinger
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ajakaiye
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cottrill
authors.forename: M Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Wiederkehr
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Barney
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Plante
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Pollard
authors.forename: M Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hayes
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Laursen
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Hjorth
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Hacker
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Forsberg
mesh_terms: D010832:6-Phytase / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D015153:Blotting, Western; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008372:Manure; D010306:Parotid Gland / Q000378:metabolism; D010710:Phosphates / Q000494:pharmacology; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D012463:Saliva / Q000201:enzymology*; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000378:metabolism; D013552:Swine; D019076:Transgenes
chemical_list: D008372:Manure; D010710:Phosphates; D010758:Phosphorus; D010832:6-Phytase