Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Glowing Monkeys Inherit Jellyfish Genes
The genetic-engineering primates could lead to better models for studying disease.
By Emily Singer
Marmoset monkeys engineered to carry the gene for green fluorescent protein. The soles of the animals' feet glow green when shown under UV light.
Courtesy of E. Sasaki et al., 2009 |
Last month in Japan, a very special marmoset monkey was born--one who inherited from his parents not only their marmoset
DNA, but also a jellyfish gene for green fluorescent protein (GFP) that makes both
the animal and his parents glow green under fluorescent light. The monkey
parents aren't the first primates to fluoresce, but they are the first to pass
a genetically engineered trait to their offspring. Scientists hope to use the
approach to create animal models of neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's,
which cannot be adequately reproduced in rodents--the typical subjects of
genetic engineering.
"The birth of this transgenic marmoset
baby is undoubtedly a milestone," write Gerald Schatten and Shoukhrat Mitalipov in a piece
accompanying the paper, published today in the journal Nature. Scientists have previously created a menagerie of
transgenic animals, including rats, rabbits, pigs, cows, cats, dogs, and
even monkeys (in one study, scientists created monkeys that genetically mimic
Huntington's disease), but "no study has shown transmission of foreign DNA to
gametes--the sperm and egg--which is essential for the generation of
transgenic offspring. These offspring could then be bred to create
transgenic-primate strains," they add.
The ability to genetically engineer
primates is essential for creating more-accurate animal models of human
diseases, especially neurological ones. For example, Schatten and
Mitalipov say,
Mice
engineered to express the cystic fibrosis gene, for example, do not develop the
lung problems that typify this disorder . . . Disorders of higher brain function,
such as Alzheimer's disease, are especially challenging to reproduce in
rodents, and here, as with many other diseases, it is our closest animal
relatives--the non-human primates--that offer potentially invaluable
biological models.
To create the transgenic monkeys,
researchers injected viruses carrying the gene for GFP into 91 marmoset embryos.
Eighty healthy transgenic embryos were
then transplanted into surrogate mothers, who birthed five glowing offspring.
Three glowing second-generation marmosets have been born since April.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Comments
Suppose we genetically re-engineer monkeys to have hands with human dexterity and enough intelligence to do all your household chores. It has an automatic cut-off switch (with a manual over-ride) that puts the monkey into a state of sleep at the first sign of any erratic or unfriendly behavior.
Your monkey is also very trainable, so it can learn whatever you want to teach it. You probably get it as a very young monkey, as soon as it can be weaned from its mother's milk. After a year or so, a good market will begin to develop for older second-hand monkeys.
At some point soon, when you order you'll be able to custom design this monkey to also be cute, loyal, friendly, and a catalog of other options. This will probably make it the hottest new "pet" to ever hit the market. It even cleans up after itself!
In the not-so-distant future you will probably be able to custom design your $10,000 Glowing Monkey to fit your specific needs. You will select size, color, special intelligence needs, and maybe special personality traits. It seems very likely that the Glowing Monkey of the future will replace the dog as man's best friend.
Since the advanced versions of the Glowing Monkeys can do basic household chores, they can also be trained to do repetitive factory work. At $10,000-$15000, this new genetically engineered bio-robotic creature is a steal.
In effect, the Glowing Monkey of the future will be a very wise household (or factory) investment in a reasonably priced, easily trainable bionic robot that fulfils many everyday needs ... needs that now consume big hunks of household budgets. In a moderately affluent household (or factory), version x of the Glowing Monkey can easily and quickly pay for itself. Instead of competing for the greenest lawn, neighbors will be aspiring for the best-trained Glowing Monkey.
However, with all this going for the Glowing Monkey it does create problems, starting with basic cultural ethics. Will this futuristic Glowing monkey be a bionic robot? Or is it actually a slave? How high can its intelligence be bio-engineered? How much can it learn? Could it ever become an intelligence that is entitled to citizenship?
Usually ethical problems are quickly cast aside when a highly marketable new product enters the culture ... witness the pornography revolution of the past 30-40 years. My guess is the huge market potential of the Glowing Money breakthrough will overwhelm any ethical concerns.
The creation of creatures is territory humankind has always assigned to its gods. The Glowing Monkey has ripped through that territorial boundary, coincidentally opening a huge door labeled "free market opportunities".
We are entering an era of great change in how we fundamentally think about our role in the universe. It seems obvious that the Glowing Monkey breakthrough is going to bring our culture's slowly simmering god-versus-science debate to a raging boil of public consciousness.
Whether we like it or not, the Glowing monkey breakthrough is about to take us where no man has gone before. The interesting question is, are we going to do it boldly or blindly?
geraldwilhit...
05/28/2009
Posts:2
When people can be assured to have children with IQs approaching 250 you can expect our technological progress to spike sharply. The current semi-random reproduction method is simply not enough.
kdubb
05/28/2009
Posts:1
However, I really DO like the idea of glowing monkeys. Glowing dogs. Glowing cows. Even glowing people. That would be kind of fun.
But yeah, I hear you. People could stand some improvements genetically. I've been trying to grow a third eye for a year now. No luck.
DJofTexas
05/28/2009
Posts:1
Monsterboy
06/02/2009
Posts:89
chir0pter
07/01/2009
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Siroilas
06/24/2009
Posts:1