Nature Biotechnology
19, 741 - 745 (2001)
doi:10.1038/90788
Pigs expressing salivary phytase produce low-phosphorus manureSerguei P. Golovan1, 2, Roy G. Meidinger2, Ayodele Ajakaiye3, Michael Cottrill1, Miles Z. Wiederkehr4, David J. Barney4, Claire Plante5, John W. Pollard5, Ming Z. Fan3, M. Anthony Hayes6, Jesper Laursen7, 8, J. Peter Hjorth7, Roger R. Hacker3, John P. Phillips2
& Cecil W. Forsberg11
Department of Microbiology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1
2
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1
3
Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1
4
Arkell Swine Research, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1
5
Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1
6
Department of Pathobiology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1
7
Institute of Molecular and Structural Biology, Aarhus C University, C F Mollers Alle Bldg 130, DK-800 Aarhus C Denmark. 8
Present address: DAKO A/S, Immunocytochemistry Department, Produktionsvej 42, DK-2600 Glostrup, Denmark.
Correspondence should be addressed to Cecil W. Forsberg cforsber@uoguelph.ca or John P. Phillips jphillip@uoguelph.caTo 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.
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