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RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTATION DESIGN © 2019 www.PosterPresentations.com Transgenic fish are fish that have been genetically modified. Genetic modification involves taking a gene from one organism with a desirable trait and expressing it in another organism. Transgenic fish were originally developed in China in the 80’s and since then have been created for many purposes including food, pets, and pharmaceuticals. They have the potential to be a solution for many health and environmental issues. Transgenic fish may provide a way to alleviate the threat against biodiversity and food shortages from overfishing. Being a relatively new technology, arguments exist for and against transgenic fish. There are valid concerns such as escape, but there are many safety measures to prevent it. The use of transgenic fish in commercial applications has only begun to be approved. Abstract History of Transgenic Fish GloFish are zebrafish marketed as an aquarium fish that have the unique characteristic of glowing under a fluorescent light. The original concept of GlowFish was first created by Zihguan Gong of the National University of Singapore, who had originally intended for them to express the glowing gene under certain environmental factors so that they may be used to alert people of contaminated water (Lee, Green, Tyler, 2015). In their inception, the fish expressed the green fluorescent protein derived from the crystal jellyfish, but now they are available in an array of colors. GlowFish in danio, tetra, and barb species. They exhibit colors such as Starfire Red® , Sunburst Orange®, Electric Green®, Cosmic Blue®. Moonrise Pink®, and Galactic Purple®. (Glofish.com, 2019) One of the most important uses for transgenic fish may be as a food source. While there have been several companies that have worked on creating transgenic fish for human consumption, AquaAdvantage salmon by AquaBounty is the first transgenic fish approved for human consumption in the US. The salmon are modified to grow larger and faster than traditional salmon, they are able to reach full market weight in 16-18 months instead of 3 years. They are altered with a gene that occurs naturally in ocean pout that creates a signal to grow larger under certain conditions (Haugen, 2013). (Franz, 2014) Other transgenic fish are tropical aquarium fish that have been modified with antifreeze genes from cold water fish that will allow them to live in aquariums in cold climates (Leggatt, 2018). Fish for human consumption can also be modified with genes that can make them produce more omega-3 to make them healthier (Marris, 2010). Other modification can be made to fish for consumption to make them easier to cultivate, such as increased tolerance to salinity or disease. Farmed fish are also being modified to better metabolize carbohydrates so that they can be grown by feeding them cheap grains rather than expensive protein (Maclean, Laight, 2000). Uses for Transgenic Fish As a new science there are still many unknowns in regards to the impact that transgenic fish could have on human health and the environment. There exists a few arguments against them, some being of greater substance than others. Transgenes may evoke allergic or adverse immunological effects when eaten. When a gene from one organism is put into another, a person may unwittingly consume a product that would cause adverse effects. The counterargument would be that as long as the construct from where the gene was taken from was safe to eat, the new transgenic organism should also be safe to eat. In the case of AquaAdvantage salmon, the two new genes are both from other species of fish (ocean pout, Chinook salmon). As an added precaution, transgenic fish should also be labeled as such so that consumers can be aware of any antigens in the fish (Maclean, Laight, 2000). Transgenic fish could have genetic problems. Position effects, which could occur when a gene is placed in a different location on the chromosome, could cause unknown negative genetic outcomes. While position effects are rare, there have been instances where fish had begun to overproduce the introduced gene (Maclean, Laight, 2000). Transgenic fish are unnatural. There are people who oppose transgenic fish on moral grounds who feel that people should not play God. Even from a secular viewpoint there can be reasons to believe that altering the genes of organisms may cause unknown negative effects. As a counterpoint, it should be mentioned that since the beginning of civilization, humans have selectively bred plants and animals to their advantage. From heartier crops to domesticated animals, the desire of mankind to use their knowledge to manipulate organisms to their benefit has existed for far longer than modern biotechnology. The most valid argument against transgenic fish is the concern that they may escape and either reproduce freely in a new environment as an invasive species or may mate with wild species. A transgenic species of fish with an advantage against natural species may easily overtake them in competition and hurt wild populations (Li, Pitcher, Devlin, 2015). Since the escape of fish is a realistic possibility, there are many precautions in place to prevent the escape and propagation of transgenic fish. AquaAdvantage salmon are grown to only be sterile females so that they cannot mate in the event of escape. The fish are also raised in the highlands of Panama and are guarded by fences to prevent wild predators from taking them (Marris, 2000). GloFish, which are transgenic zebrafish, are originally from tropical waters and in the event of escape, could not survive in colder North American waters (Anthes, 2014). AquaAdvantage salmon in tanks where they cannot escape and breed with wild populations. (Aquabounty.com, 2019) Transgenic fish can alleviate depletion of natural fisheries. At the current rate of worldwide fish consumption, many of the world’s most valuable commercial fish species will be extinct by the middle of the century (Haugen, 2013). The loss of natural resources of fish will have an environmental impact due to lack of biodiversity and destruction of habitat. Furthermore the loss of a major worldwide food source could have a devastating impact. If transgenic fish can be developed to grow faster and cheaper, it would encourage farmers to grow fish on land rather than take them from the ocean. Transgenic fish are a cheap and safe source of pharmaceuticals. Since the 80’s, bacteria and eukaryotic cells have been used to grow various drugs such as human insulin. Such as in the earlier example of human coagulation factor VII, growing the treatments in animals eliminates the need for human donors and the risks for disease that human harvested serum could contain. Fish are a good option for growing the treatments since they are much larger than single cells, yet cheaper and simpler to grow than pigs or cattle (Avasthi, 2004). Arguments Against Transgenic Fish Arguments for Transgenic Fish Transgenic fish may also have the potential to save themselves. As global warming increases, fish and other marine life become at risk for extinction. Corals around the world have faced mass deaths from coral bleaching and ocean acidification. In an effort to save the coral reefs, there are current efforts being made to create transgenic dinoflagellate symbionts (symbiodinium) that are temperature resistant. While there is great risk in creating transgenic organisms to release into the wild, with the current rate of global warming, it may take such drastic measures to preserve ocean wildlife (Levin, Voolstra, Agrawal, Steinber, Suggett, Oppen, 2017). Transgenic symbiodinium expressing glowing genes. (Levin, 2017) REFERENCES Anthes, E. (2014). Frankensteins cat: cuddling up to biotechs brave new beasts. New York: Scientific American/Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Avasthi, A. (2004). Can fish factories make cheap drugs? New Scientist, 183(2464), 8. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost- com.libraryaccess.sdmiramar.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=14558880&site=ehos t-live Experience the Glo!® with GloFish®. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://shop.glofish.com/pages/about-us. Franz. (2014, July 13). AquAdvantage salmon: genetically altered. Retrieved from https://franzcalvo.wordpress.com/2014/07/13/aquadvantage-salmon-genetically-altered/ . Grossman, M. R. (2016). Genetically Engineered Animals in the United States: The AquAdvantage Salmon. European Food & Feed Law Review, 11(3), 190–200. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost- com.libraryaccess.sdmiramar.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=116208565&site=eh ost-live Haugen, D. M. (2013). Genetic engineering: Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press (Gale/Cengage Learning). Heath, J., Heath, J., & Head, L. (2019, October 24). Animals in research: zebrafish. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/animals-in-research-zebrafish-13804. Kardash, E. (2019, October 31). Zebrafish Research Methods. Retrieved from https://www.labome.com/method/Zebrafish-Research-Methods.html. Lee, O., Green, J. M., & Tyler, C. R. (2015). Transgenic fish systems and their application in ecotoxicology. Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 45(2), 124–141. https://doi- org.libraryaccess.sdmiramar.edu/10.3109/10408444.2014.965805 Leggatt, R. A., Dhillon, R. S., Mimeault, C., Johnson, N., Richards, J. G., & Devlin, R. H. (2018). Low-temperature tolerances of tropical fish with potential transgenic applications in relation to winter water temperatures in Canada. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 96(3), 253–260. https://doi-org.libraryaccess.sdmiramar.edu/10.1139/cjz-2017-0043 Levin, R. A., Voolstra, C. R., Agrawal, S., Steinberg, P. D., Suggett, D. J., & Oppen, M. J. H. V. (2017). Engineering Strategies to Decode and Enhance the Genomes of Coral Symbionts. Frontiers in Microbiology, 8. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01220 LI, L., PITCHER, T. J., & DEVLIN, R. H. (2015). Potential risks of trophic impacts by escaped transgenic salmon in marine environments. Environmental Conservation, 42(2), 152–161. https://doi-org.libraryaccess.sdmiramar.edu/10.1017/S0376892914000319 Maclean, N., & Laight, R. J. (2000). Transgenic fish: an evaluation of benefits and risks. Fish & Fisheries, 1(2), 146–172. https://doi-org.libraryaccess.sdmiramar.edu/10.1046/j.1467- 2979.2000.00014.x Marris, E. (2010). Transgenic fish go large. Nature, 467(7313), 259. doi:http://dx.doi.org.libraryaccess.sdmiramar.edu:8080/10.1038/467259a Technology. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://aquabounty.com/innovation/technology/. Since the discovery of recombinant DNA technology in the 70’s, scientist have attempted to create transgenic organisms. Original experiments were done on simple organisms such as bacteria, then were expanded upon to include various plants and animals. The first successful batch of transgenic fish were developed in China using rainbow trout (1984) and goldfish (1985) (Maclean, Laight, 2000). Although many companies have worked for the past couple of decades to create transgenic fish for consumption, it has been only recently in 2015 that the FDA had approved transgenic salmon (Grossman, 2016). Bio 115 Marine Biology Fall 2019 Anne Bush Transgenic Fish Production Methods of Transgenic Fish A transgenic organism is one that has new gene or gene sequences introduced into its chromosomal DNA. Desirable traits from one organism, when found in the gene sequence, can be cut out and removed using recombinant DNA technology, those genes can then be put back into another organism with the purpose of having it express those new traits. The new genes are typically introduced into fish by using a technique called microinjection. In microinjection of zebrafish, newly hatched and fertilized eggs are collected and aligned in a microscope. The mRNA of the desired gene is loaded into a microinjector which then injects the new gene into the nucleus of the eggs. The embryos are injected in masse since not every embryo will develop after the process, nor will every embryo express the gene. Afterwards, the embryos are examined to see if they have taken in the new DNA and express the desired gene (Kardash, 2019). Other methods exist, such as electroporation, which involves using electricity to create micropores that allow the new gene to enter the egg. There are also methods that use viruses or even transgenic sperm as a vector to deliver the gene. Although microinjection is the most popular technique, it is considered time consuming and still only has a 20% efficiency rate. Therefore new and better techniques are still being sought. Injection of genes into a zebrafish embryo using microinjection (Health, 2019) Transgenic fish are created for many purposes, one such important use is for pharmaceuticals. An example is tilapia created by AquaGene of Alachua, Florida. They have developed a tilapia with a gene to produce human coagulation factor VII, which is used to stop bleeding in trauma patients and people with hemophilia (Avasthi, 2004). Originally it had been purified from human blood, but that has carried the risk of disease transmission. Current treatments are being produced in Chinese ovarian hamster cells, but they are cost prohibitive with a single injection costing up to $10,000. Tilapia are quick and easy to breed therefore the drug will be much cheaper to produce.
Transcript of 36x48 PowerPoint Presentationfaculty.sdmiramar.edu/alowe/StudentPostersFall2019... · As a new...
RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTATION DESIGN © 2019
www.PosterPresentations.com
Transgenic fish are fish that have been genetically modified. Genetic modification involves taking a gene from one organism with a desirable trait and expressing it in another organism. Transgenic fish were originally developed in China in the 80’s and since then have been created for many purposes including food, pets, and pharmaceuticals. They have the potential to be a solution for many health and environmental issues. Transgenic fish may provide a way to alleviate the threat against biodiversity and food shortages from overfishing. Being a relatively new technology, arguments exist for and against transgenic fish. There are valid concerns such as escape, but there are many safety measures to prevent it. The use of transgenic fish in commercial applications has only begun to be approved.
Abstract
History of Transgenic Fish
GloFish are zebrafish marketed as an aquarium fish that have the unique characteristic of glowing under a fluorescent light. The original concept of GlowFish was first created by Zihguan Gong of the National University of Singapore, who had originally intended for them to express the glowing gene under certain environmental factors so that they may be used to alert people of contaminated water (Lee, Green, Tyler, 2015). In their inception, the fish expressed the green fluorescent protein derived from the crystal jellyfish, but now they are available in an array of colors.
GlowFish in danio, tetra, and barb species. They exhibit colors such as Starfire Red® , Sunburst Orange®, Electric Green®, Cosmic Blue®. Moonrise Pink®, and Galactic Purple®. (Glofish.com, 2019)
One of the most important uses for transgenic fish may be as a food source. While there have been several companies that have worked on creating transgenic fish for human consumption, AquaAdvantage salmon by AquaBounty is the first transgenic fish approved for human consumption in the US. The salmon are modified to grow larger and faster than traditional salmon, they are able to reach full market weight in 16-18 months instead of 3 years. They are altered with a gene that occurs naturally in ocean pout that creates a signal to grow larger under certain conditions (Haugen, 2013).
(Franz, 2014)
Other transgenic fish are tropical aquarium fish that have been modified with antifreeze genes from cold water fish that will allow them to live in aquariums in cold climates (Leggatt, 2018). Fish for human consumption can also be modified with genes that can make them produce more omega-3 to make them healthier (Marris, 2010). Other modification can be made to fish for consumption to make them easier to cultivate, such as increased tolerance to salinity or disease. Farmed fish are also being modified to better metabolize carbohydrates so that they can be grown by feeding them cheap grains rather than expensive protein (Maclean, Laight, 2000).
Uses for Transgenic Fish
As a new science there are still many unknowns in regards to the impact that transgenic fish could have on human health and the environment. There exists a few arguments against them, some being of greater substance than others.
Transgenes may evoke allergic or adverse immunological effects when eaten. When a gene from one organism is put into another, a person may unwittingly consume a product that would cause adverse effects. The counterargument would be that as long as the construct from where the gene was taken from was safe to eat, the new transgenic organism should also be safe to eat. In the case of AquaAdvantage salmon, the two new genes are both from other species of fish (ocean pout, Chinook salmon). As an added precaution, transgenic fish should also be labeled as such so that consumers can be aware of any antigens in the fish (Maclean, Laight, 2000).
Transgenic fish could have genetic problems. Position effects, which could occur when a gene is placed in a different location on the chromosome, could cause unknown negative genetic outcomes. While position effects are rare, there have been instances where fish had begun to overproduce the introduced gene (Maclean, Laight, 2000).
Transgenic fish are unnatural. There are people who oppose transgenic fish on moral grounds who feel that people should not play God. Even from a secular viewpoint there can be reasons to believe that altering the genes of organisms may cause unknown negative effects. As a counterpoint, it should be mentioned that since the beginning of civilization, humans have selectively bred plants and animals to their advantage. From heartier crops to domesticated animals, the desire of mankind to use their knowledge to manipulate organisms to their benefit has existed for far longer than modern biotechnology.
The most valid argument against transgenic fish is the concern that they may escape and either reproduce freely in a new environment as an invasive species or may mate with wild species. A transgenic species of fish with an advantage against natural species may easily overtake them in competition and hurt wild populations (Li, Pitcher, Devlin, 2015). Since the escape of fish is a realistic possibility, there are many precautions in place to prevent the escape and propagation of transgenic fish. AquaAdvantage salmon are grown to only be sterile females so that they cannot mate in the event of escape. The fish are also raised in the highlands of Panama and are guarded by fences to prevent wild predators from taking them (Marris, 2000). GloFish, which are transgenic zebrafish, are originally from tropical waters and in the event of escape, could not survive in colder North American waters (Anthes, 2014).
AquaAdvantage salmon in tanks where they cannot escape and breed with wild populations. (Aquabounty.com, 2019)
Transgenic fish can alleviate depletion of natural fisheries. At the current rate of worldwide fish consumption, many of the world’s most valuable commercial fish species will be extinct by the middle of the century (Haugen, 2013). The loss of natural resources of fish will have an environmental impact due to lack of biodiversity and destruction of habitat. Furthermore the loss of a major worldwide food source could have a devastating impact. If transgenic fish can be developed to grow faster and cheaper, it would encourage farmers to grow fish on land rather than take them from the ocean.
Transgenic fish are a cheap and safe source of pharmaceuticals. Since the 80’s, bacteria and eukaryotic cells have been used to grow various drugs such as human insulin. Such as in the earlier example of human coagulation factor VII, growing the treatments in animals eliminates the need for human donors and the risks for disease that human harvested serum could contain. Fish are a good option for growing the treatments since they are much larger than single cells, yet cheaper and simpler to grow than pigs or cattle (Avasthi, 2004).
Arguments Against Transgenic Fish
Arguments for Transgenic Fish
Transgenic fish may also have the potential to save themselves. As global warming increases, fish and other marine life become at risk for extinction. Corals around the world have faced mass deaths from coral bleaching and ocean acidification. In an effort to save the coral reefs, there are current efforts being made to create transgenic dinoflagellate symbionts (symbiodinium) that are temperature resistant. While there is great risk in creating transgenic organisms to release into the wild, with the current rate of global warming, it may take such drastic measures to preserve ocean wildlife (Levin, Voolstra, Agrawal, Steinber, Suggett, Oppen, 2017).
Transgenic symbiodinium expressing glowing genes. (Levin, 2017)
REFERENCES
Anthes, E. (2014). Frankensteins cat: cuddling up to biotechs brave new beasts. New York: Scientific American/Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Avasthi, A. (2004). Can fish factories make cheap drugs? New Scientist, 183(2464), 8. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.libraryaccess.sdmiramar.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=14558880&site=ehost-live
Experience the Glo!® with GloFish®. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://shop.glofish.com/pages/about-us.
Franz. (2014, July 13). AquAdvantage salmon: genetically altered. Retrieved from https://franzcalvo.wordpress.com/2014/07/13/aquadvantage-salmon-genetically-altered/.
Grossman, M. R. (2016). Genetically Engineered Animals in the United States: The AquAdvantage Salmon. European Food & Feed Law Review, 11(3), 190–200. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.libraryaccess.sdmiramar.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=116208565&site=ehost-live
Haugen, D. M. (2013). Genetic engineering: Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press (Gale/Cengage Learning).
Heath, J., Heath, J., & Head, L. (2019, October 24). Animals in research: zebrafish. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/animals-in-research-zebrafish-13804.
Kardash, E. (2019, October 31). Zebrafish Research Methods. Retrieved from https://www.labome.com/method/Zebrafish-Research-Methods.html.
Lee, O., Green, J. M., & Tyler, C. R. (2015). Transgenic fish systems and their application in ecotoxicology. Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 45(2), 124–141. https://doi-org.libraryaccess.sdmiramar.edu/10.3109/10408444.2014.965805
Leggatt, R. A., Dhillon, R. S., Mimeault, C., Johnson, N., Richards, J. G., & Devlin, R. H. (2018). Low-temperature tolerances of tropical fish with potential transgenic applications in relation to winter water temperatures in Canada. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 96(3), 253–260. https://doi-org.libraryaccess.sdmiramar.edu/10.1139/cjz-2017-0043
Levin, R. A., Voolstra, C. R., Agrawal, S., Steinberg, P. D., Suggett, D. J., & Oppen, M. J. H. V. (2017). Engineering Strategies to Decode and Enhance the Genomes of Coral Symbionts. Frontiers in Microbiology, 8. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01220
LI, L., PITCHER, T. J., & DEVLIN, R. H. (2015). Potential risks of trophic impacts by escaped transgenic salmon in marine environments. Environmental Conservation, 42(2), 152–161. https://doi-org.libraryaccess.sdmiramar.edu/10.1017/S0376892914000319
Maclean, N., & Laight, R. J. (2000). Transgenic fish: an evaluation of benefits and risks. Fish & Fisheries, 1(2), 146–172. https://doi-org.libraryaccess.sdmiramar.edu/10.1046/j.1467-2979.2000.00014.x
Marris, E. (2010). Transgenic fish go large. Nature, 467(7313), 259. doi:http://dx.doi.org.libraryaccess.sdmiramar.edu:8080/10.1038/467259a
Technology. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://aquabounty.com/innovation/technology/.
Since the discovery of recombinant DNA technology in the 70’s, scientist have attempted to create transgenic organisms. Original experiments were done on simple organisms such as bacteria, then were expanded upon to include various plants and animals. The first successful batch of transgenic fish were developed in China using rainbow trout (1984) and goldfish (1985) (Maclean, Laight, 2000). Although many companies have worked for the past couple of decades to create transgenic fish for consumption, it has been only recently in 2015 that the FDA had approved transgenic salmon (Grossman, 2016).
Bio 115 Marine Biology Fall 2019
Anne Bush
Transgenic Fish
Production Methods of Transgenic Fish
A transgenic organism is one that has new gene or gene sequences introduced into its chromosomal DNA. Desirable traits from one organism, when found in the gene sequence, can be cut out and removed using recombinant DNA technology, those genes can then be put back into another organism with the purpose of having it express those new traits. The new genes are typically introduced into fish by using a technique called microinjection. In microinjection of zebrafish, newly hatched and fertilized eggs are collected and aligned in a microscope. The mRNA of the desired gene is loaded into a microinjector which then injects the new gene into the nucleus of the eggs. The embryos are injected in masse since not every embryo will develop after the process, nor will every embryo express the gene. Afterwards, the embryos are examined to see if they have taken in the new DNA and express the desired gene (Kardash, 2019).
Other methods exist, such as electroporation, which involves using electricity to create micropores that allow the new gene to enter the egg. There are also methods that use viruses or even transgenic sperm as a vector to deliver the gene. Although microinjection is the most popular technique, it is considered time consuming and still only has a 20% efficiency rate. Therefore new and better techniques are still being sought.
Injection of genes into a zebrafish embryo using microinjection (Health, 2019)
Transgenic fish are created for many purposes, one such important use is for pharmaceuticals. An example is tilapia created by AquaGene of Alachua, Florida. They have developed a tilapia with a gene to produce human coagulation factor VII, which is used to stop bleeding in trauma patients and people with hemophilia (Avasthi, 2004). Originally it had been purified from human blood, but that has carried the risk of disease transmission. Current treatments are being produced in Chinese ovarian hamster cells, but they are cost prohibitive with a single injection costing up to $10,000. Tilapia are quick and easy to breed therefore the drug will be much cheaper to produce.
