Catálogo de publicaciones - libros

The application of transgenic technology to commercially important livestock is expected to generate major effects in agriculture and medicine. Three areas of development have been the focus of intensive investigation: (1) For improved desirable traits, such as increased growth rate, feed conversion, reduction of fat, improved quality of meat and milk. Growth hormone transgenes have been inserted into genomes of pig, sheep, and cow; (2) For improved resistance to diseases - A number of genes contributing to the immune system (such as heavy and light chains of an antibody that binds to a specific antigen) can be introduced to confer in immunization to transgenic animals; (3) To raise transgenic animals for the production of pharmaceutical proteins - The concept of using farm animals as bioreactors has raised the prospect of a revolutionary role of livestock species. The list of proteins includes human lactoferrin, human collagen, α-antitrypsin, blood coagulation factor, anticlotting agents, and others.

A revolutionary event in biology and medicine occurred in 1996 when scientists at the Roslin Institute in Scotland succeeded in cloning animals from cultured cells taken from a mature ewe. Dolly is the first mammalian clone created by transferring the nucleus from an adult cell to an unfertilized egg (with its own nucleus already been removed). Clones have since been produced from adult cells of mice, cattle, goats, pigs and other animals.

The publication of the human genome sequence is the cumulative result of nearly five decades of international collaborations. The Human Genome Project’s (HGP) sequencing strategy is a clone-by-clone or hierarchical strategy, first producing genetic and physical maps of the human genome (the first 5-year plan, 1993–1998), and then pinning the sequences to the genome map (the second 5-year plan, 1998–2003).