Genetic Engineering on Mouse

[Billwaa]

When I first learn about genetic engineering and DNA last month, my teacher told us that someone did an experiment on mouse and squid. They took the DNA code that make the squid glow in the dark and insert it to a mouse. The mouse's offspring all have the ability to glow in the dark.

 

I just think it's kind of funny. And they should probably do that to hamster and sell them in the pet store. Wouldn' t it be cool to have a hamster the glow in dark?

 

 

they did that on plants too!

 

 

man, I want a plant like that so badly!

[Daecon]

Wow, neat!

 

Does that mean (according to GM skeptics) that if I eat theose mice, I'd be able to glow in the dark too?

 

*warms up the deep fryer*

[Billwaa]

err.. no I don't think so. lol

 

*I think if you really want yourself to be glow in the dark, you have to be genetic engineered before you are born, when you are still a sperm cell. becuase if you change your DNA at that time, then you skin will remain glowing. But if you change it after you are born, there are different possibility:

 

1. the transgenetic organism (i think that's what they are called) will get attack by your immune system and wouldn't transferr the DNA

 

2. last only a while because most of the skin cells in your body already been devoloped. You alter a few cells, they will divide and produce more, but that wouldn't create enough skin cells vs the normal one which already been devolope in bigger number and produce more. Which mean your glow in the dark cell will eventually get overthrown.

 

// Really, I don't want to be glow in the dark, it would hurt if I am playing Airsoft War or paintball in the dark. lol

[Helix]

The gene responsible for florescence in animals, GFP (Green fluorescent protein) is found naturally in certain types of jellyfish. To make other organisms glow, like a human or a hamster for example, the gene would have to be inserted into the organism through a vector making that organism transgenic. Then, hopefully, the gene would be expressed and cause the mouse or person to glow.

 

It's actually quite cool to see the effects of GFP:

 

 

Here you see the feet and toes of newborn baby mice.

 

Here are cells from (presumably) the same mice.

 

You can see that the expression of GFP is universal in the mice. Seeing GFP on the cellular level then on the macroscopic really shows how amazing the protein is.

[Billwaa]

I wonder if the world will accept human that have the glowing gene.

[Daecon]

I'm sure it'll just be an excuse for people to become "legitimate" racists and carry on hating.

[JustStuit]

Do you have a link with an article for the pictures? I'm interested to see what the scientists published and what/how they did that.

[zyncod]

Ok, just to clarify, because the media does not seem to be adequately explaining this. GFP does not make things glow in the dark. It makes them fluorescent - so you need to shine a UV light on them to make them glow. It does make organisms green under regular light (I work with GFP mice and it's very weird to open them up and see that a number of their organs are green).

 

You can make 'glow in the dark' mice by adding the luciferase transgene (from fireflies) and injecting them with luciferin. Unfortunately, the amount of light produced is not visible to the naked eye.

[Daecon]

So you'll easily be able to tell who has the gene next time you go to your local tanning salon...

[insane_alien]

i wish i could glow green... alas i only glow blue.

[Helix]

I'm sure it'll just be an excuse for people to become "legitimate" racists and carry on hating.

 

 

They don't seem to need an excuse as it is.