Want to enjoy bacon without the guilt? Scientists are using a gene-editing
tool to create low-fat pigs, so you can.
Chinese researchers recently conducted an experiment, published in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Scientists, to determine how
genetically modified pigs can “improve pig welfare and reduce economic
losses,” the study said.
To do so, they used a tool called CRISPR to produce a gene that helps pigs
burn fat to stay warm. While other mammals, such as mice and rats, already
have this gene, pigs do not.
Scientists injected a mouse version of the gene into embryonic pig cells,
which were then coaxed to make more than 2,000 pig embryo clones that were
genetically identical.
Twelve male piglets with the new gene were born from the embryos, and those
newborns had 24 percent less body fat than pigs without the gene.
The low-fat pigs “showed an improved ability to maintain body temperature
during acute cold exposure, but they did not have alterations in physical
activity levels or total daily energy expenditure,” the authors wrote. They
also said the gene “dramatically decreased fat deposition.”
While an autopsy of the animals showed their organs and tissues were
functioning normally after six months, it’s unclear whether the change
affects the taste and quality of the pork produced.
The authors said the low-fat pigs “are a potentially valuable resource for
agricultural production through their combination of cold adaptation, which
improves pig welfare and reduces economic losses, with reduced fat
deposition and increased lean meat production.”