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Manipulation of the Repertoire of Digestive Enzymes Secreted into the Gastrointestinal Tract of Transgenic Mice

Bio/Technology volume 11, pages 376–379 (1993)Cite this article

Abstract

In non-ruminant livestock the energy which can be derived from dietary cellulose and xylan is limited by the inefficient microbial fermentation of these polymers in the hind-gut. Furthermore, in poultry, cereal-derived plant structural polysaccharides impair normal digestive function through the formation of gel-like structures, which trap nutrients rendering them unavailable to the animal. The nutrition of non-ruminant livestock could be significantly improved by the depolymerization of plant structural polysaccharides, through the introduction of cellulase activity into the small intestines of these animals. Here we describe the expression of Clostridium thermocellum endoglucanase E in the exocrine pancreas of transgenic mice. A non-glycosylated active enzyme is secreted into the small intestines, and is resistant to proteolytic inactivation, demonstrating the feasibility of generating non-ruminant animals with the endogenous capacity to depolymerize plant structural polysaccharides in the small intestines.

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Author notes

  1. Harry J. Gilbert: Corresponding author.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological and Nutritional Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 7RU, U.K.

    Judith Hall, Barry H. Hirst & Harry J. Gilbert

  2. Department of Physiological Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 7RU, U.K.

    Judith Hall

  3. Department of Molecular Embryology, AFRC Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics Research, Cambridge, CB2 4AT, U.K.

    Simi Ali

  4. Department of Biochemistry, AFRC Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics Research, Cambridge, CB2 4AT, U.K.

    M. Azim Surani & Geoffrey P. Hazlewood

  5. Department of Molecular Genetics, AFRC Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics Research, Roslin, Midlothian, EH25 9PS, U.K.

    A. John Clark & J. Paul Simons

Authors
  1. Judith Hall
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  2. Simi Ali
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  3. M. Azim Surani
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  4. Geoffrey P. Hazlewood
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  6. J. Paul Simons
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  7. Barry H. Hirst
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  8. Harry J. Gilbert
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Hall, J., Ali, S., Surani, M. et al. Manipulation of the Repertoire of Digestive Enzymes Secreted into the Gastrointestinal Tract of Transgenic Mice. Nat Biotechnol 11, 376–379 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0393-376

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