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Improved Wool Production in Transgenic Sheep Expressing Insulin-like Growth Factor 1

Bio/Technology volume 14, pages 185–188 (1996)Cite this article

Abstract

Transgenic sheep were produced by pronuclear microinjection with a mouse ultra-high-sulfur keratin promoter linked to an ovine insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) cDNA. Five transgenic lambs resulted from the microinjection of 591 embryos; one male and one female showed IGF1 expression in the skin. A progeny test of the ram was carried out by matings to 43 non-transgenic ewes. Of 85 lambs born, 43 (50.6%) were transgenic. At yearling shearing (approximately 14 months of age), clean fleece weight was on average 6.2% greater in transgenic animals than in their non-transgenic half-sibs, with a greater effect in males (9.2%) than females (3.4%). Transgenics showed a small but significant increase in bulk, but male transgenics had a lower staple strength than female transgenics and non-transgenics which did not differ significantly. There were no significant differences in fiber diameter, medullation, and hogget body weight. To our knowledge this is the first reported improvement in a production trait by genetic engineering of a farm animal without adverse effects on health or reproduction.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Molecular Biology, Lincoln University, PO Box 84, Canterbury, New Zealand

    Sami Damak, Hung-yi Su & David W. Bullock

  2. Animal and Veterinary Sciences Group, Lincoln University, PO Box 84, Canterbury, New Zealand

    Hung-yi Su, Nigel P. Jay & David W. Bullock

Authors
  1. Sami Damak
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  2. Hung-yi Su
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  3. Nigel P. Jay
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  4. David W. Bullock
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Correspondence to David W. Bullock.

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Damak, S., Su, Hy., Jay, N. et al. Improved Wool Production in Transgenic Sheep Expressing Insulin-like Growth Factor 1. Nat Biotechnol 14, 185–188 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0296-185

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