title: Horizontal gene transfer does not occur between sFat-1 transgenic pigs and nontransgenic pigs.
abstract: We previously generated and characterized synthesized fatty acid desaturase-1 (sFat-1) transgenic pigs that had increased concentrations of ω-3 unsaturated fatty acid in their meat. The objective was to assess whether the inserted foreign gene in sFat-1 transgenic pigs was able to transfer and integrate into the genome of nontransgenic pigs by suckling or mating. Tests for suckling-mediated horizontal gene transfer (HGT) included sFat-1 transgenic sows nursing nontransgenic piglets and sFat-1 transgenic piglets suckling nontransgenic sows. Tests for mating-mediated HGT were performed by male sFat-1 transgenic pigs mated with nontransgenic females and female sFat-1 transgenic pigs mated with nontransgenic males. Polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the sFat-1 gene fragment in various tissues sampled from nontransgenic pigs. The foreign target gene sFat-1 was not detected in the genomic DNA of various tissues and organs sampled from nontransgenic pigs. Therefore, we concluded that HGT from transgenic pigs to wild type pigs via suckling or mating was unlikely.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Farm Animal Genetic Resources and Utilization & Inspection Test Center for Biosafety of Genetically Modified Animal and Feed, the Ministry of Agriculture of China (Beijing), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, PR China.
authors.forename: M X
authors.initials: MX
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: X M
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: W T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics*; D000833:Animals, Suckling; D001947:Breeding; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D044943:Fatty Acid Desaturases / Q000235:genetics*; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D034421:Sus scrofa / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D004247:DNA; D044943:Fatty Acid Desaturases