Animal Biotechnology:

An Overview
Lecture 1
 WHAT IS
BIOTECHNOLOGY?
Biotechnology

The use of living organisms, cells,

sub-cellular organelles, and/or part of
those structures, as well as the
molecules to effect physical or
chemical changes needed to generate
new products for research and
commercialization.
Animal Biotechnology

Animal biotechnology is defined as the

application of biotechnology to the
processing or production of materials by
animals (or aquatic species) to provides
goods and services.
What is animal biotechnology?

 Any technological application that utilizes animal to make or modify products.

 Began more than 8000 years ago – domesticating and selectively breeding animal
 Modern era (mid 1950s)– discovery of the genetic code
 Modern technology represent the intersection of man’s manipulation of the
environment and the emergence of molecular and computing technologies.
 Today new tools – computing power, genomic sequencing, cloning, regenerative
medicine and direct gene insertion gives potential to dramatically alter animals
for a broad range of purposes:
1. Food production
2. Medical
3. Scientific research.
Earliest animal biotechnology
 Prehistoric human were originally hunter-gatherers who
nourished themselves by following the migration of
animals & ripening of foods as wild fruits and berries.
 They could not support high population densities – food
supply was not steady.
 At the end of ice age (10,000 BC) – transition from a
hunter gatherers lifestyle to farming communities.
 Known as Neolithic Revolution, marked the beginning of
early agriculture.
 Domestication of animal – sheep, goats, cattle, horse,
camels etc.a
Domestication
 Domestication implies
– tameness and bringing the animal growth and reproduction at least partly under
man’s control
- that man converts the animal’s products and services to his own advantage and
purposes.

 Domestication
- produced large changes in behaviour and the environment under which they are
reared
- the environment under which they are reared have been conditioned and many
of them are hereditary since the domestication process would have emphasized
selection of animals or families of animals which were most gentlest, most
cooperative and most productive to man
Domestication of Animals

1. Domesticate: to adapt the behaviour of an

animal to fit the needs of people.
2. A co-evolutionary relationship, most commonly
between humans and particular plants and
animals, which results from predator/prey
interaction.
Early Domestication

• Domestication involves more than simply

taming.
• Animals are considered to be domesticated
when:
- they are kept for a distinct purpose
- humans control their breeding
- their survival depends on humans
- they develop traits that are not found in the
wild
Early Domestication

1. Humans began domesticating animals more than

10,000 years ago beginning with dogs.

2. Ruminants (cattle, sheep and goats) were the first

food animals to be domesticated followed by pigs.

3. Horses and cattle were domesticated primarily for

transportation and draft work purposes.

4. Early people found animals that form large herds or

flocks and eat a wide variety of feeds are easier to
domesticate.
Domestication

• Domestication allowed humans to

1. Contain animals with the right temperament

2. Have a steady food supply
3. Use animals for companionship, religious
purposes and draft work

• In return, the animals received protection and a

constant food supply.
• Selective breeding occurred as humans got rid of
animals with undesirable traits, not allowing them to
reproduce.
DOMESTICATION

1. The first animal to be domesticated was the DOG. This probably

occurred at least 14,000 years ago – the animals being used for hunting
and as watchdogs

2. GOATS were domesticated as early as 10,000 years ago in the Zagros

mountains of the Fertile Crescent. The bezoar (Capra aegragus) was
probably one of the ancestors of the domestic goat.

3. SHEEP were first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent

approximately 8,000 to 9,000 years ago. 3 species of wild sheep (the
urial, Ovis vignei; the argali,O. ammon; and the Eurasian mouflon, O.
usinom/orientalis) have been proposed as ancestors of domestic sheep
4. PIGS have mostly been domesticated for meat production; however their
bones, hide and hair are also used for items such as weapons and brushes.
According to DNA evidence from Neolithic pigs, domesticated pigs were brought
west to Europe.

5. CATTLE have been domesticated since at least the early Neolithic for their
meat, milk, leather, dung for manure or fuel, and for use as load-bearers and to
pull plows.

6. In addition, several animal species also went through a process of

domestication, such as farmed fowl (Chicken, geese, turkeys), horses, aquatic
animals, and some insects.
- Great importance to humans, providing products and inputs used routinely.
Objectives of animal biotechnology

 To improve the production of animal beyond the normal rate of reproduction.

 To improve and to preserve the good genetic characteristics in the
population.
 To improve the animal health status by the use of effective vaccine, as well
as faster and accurate diagnostic and treatment.
 To improve the status of animal nutrition
 To develop and improve further the techniques used in biotechnology through
the infrastructures, facilities, better equipment and the main power.
Areas/ fields of animal biotechnology

1. Agriculture
2. Medicine
3. Industrial application
4. Conservation & ecology
5. Animal forensics
 1.Agriculture

Food Animal Animal health

production breeding & nutrition
Food production

 Population explosion lead to food crisis.

 New technologies are being introduce to increase food
production.
 Livestock – greater size, improved lean muscle mass,
increased growth rate, increase growth rate, greater milk
production, production of milk with enhanced qualities
(high protein, low lipid)
 Chicken – with high quality of eggs
 Traditional breeding – slow and arduous
process
 But, biotechnology has the potential to
short cut traditional/ conventional
breeding methods to create animal with
desired trait.
 Eg – transgenic salmon
Transgenic salmon
Even though these
Atlantic Salmon are
at the same age, but
the big one was
genetically
engineered to grow at
twice the rate of
normal salmon.
Artificial insemination
 The deposition of spermatozoa in female genitalia by
instrument rather than by male genitalia.
 Today, 60% of dairy cows in the use are bred by artificial
insemination.
 Advantage
1. Genetic improvement of livestock
2. Disease control mechanism
3. Possible to increase fertility
4. Decrease breeding expense
Animal breeding
1. Many animal genomes have now been completely
sequenced and a number of gene variants have been
described and be identified.
2. Biotechnology can be used to identify and select animals
with multiple desirable characteristics, particularly traits
associated with economic importance, and the best
combination of gene variants for breeding.
3. Cloning is become a viable method of reproducing
desired animal of many species.
4. Animals that have been cloned – sheep, pig, cows, mice
horses, goats and cats, etc.
Animal health & nutrition

 Development of vaccines against significant animal

disease.
 E.g, development of unique vaccines against African
horsesickness virus in horses, blue tongue virus in sheep,
botulism, anthrax, lumpy skin disease and many more
 2.Medicine

Transplant Research into

Pharmaceutical
organ human disease
Transplant organ

 Xenotransplantation – the process of transplanting organs, tissues or cells

between different species.
 The most promising animal – Pig
- but with genetic manipulation and biotechnology
- otherwise, it would not be immunologically incompatible
as donor and organs will be rejected.
Pig as potential animal for
xenotransplantation
 Problems?? – being immunologically incompatible, caused by a type of sugar
molecule called Gal-alpha (1,3)- Gal which is attached to protein molecules
on surface of pig cells but not on human cells.
 In human, it is known as foreign gene, leading to a rapid rejection of the
tissue called hyperacute rejection.
 How to overcome?? – gene knockout technology (in which gene is deleted or
inactivated). So that the sugar molecule is not express on cells of the pig.
 Ethical issue – safety, religious issue, public education is essential, informed
consent and the selection of the human donor must be carefully considered.
Pharmaceutical

1. Transgenic poultry, pigs, goats and cattles have been produced that produce
large quantities of human protein in eggs, milk, blood and urine with the
intention to use these products as pharmaceuticals such as enzymes, albumin,
clotting factors and antibodies.
2. These transgenic animal serve as living bioreactors for the production of
product of value.
ATryn

 Produced by GTC Bio therapeutics inc.

 Was produced in the milk of transgenic goats which have been genetically
engineered to contain the gene to produce human anti thrombin (AT) in its
milk.
 AT is a protein that prevents blood clotting in the veins and arteries of
healthy individuals.
 Patient with a rare disease called hereditary AT deficiency lack normal AT.
 ATryn acts as a anticoagulant.
 FDA had given ATryn an orphan drug designation (drug developed specifically
for rare disease)
 Other example is protein 1-anti-trypsin in sheep’s milk.
 This protein is used to treat hereditary emphysema, cystic fibrosis, and
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
 This product is in clinical trials in Europe.
 Another example is human lysozyme produced in the milk of genetically
engineered cows.
 Lysozyme is an antimicrobial protein and so can increase the shelf life of the
milk and offer health protection to infants.
Research into human disease

 Transgenic animal are useful as disease model.

 Animals are genetically modified to mimic symptoms of disease – to be used
to study therapies and treatments.
 E.g – transgenic mice
 Why mice??
- Approximately 80% of mouse genes have a single identifiable orthologue in human.
- Short reproduction cycle and their embryos are easily manipulated.
- But many of the breakthroughs in mice have not translated to humans.
Transgenic pigs as human disease model
 Similar size and physiology to human.
 Conventional pigs are already used to study cardiovascular
disease, atherosclerosis, cutaneous pharmacology, wound
repair, cancer, diabetes and ophthalmology.
 Transgenic pigs – Alzheimer’s disease, cystic fibrosis,
retinitis pigmentosa, spinal muscular atrophy, diabetes
and organ failure.
 Once these animal model have been characterized, new
drugs and therapies can be tested before clinical trials.
3.Industrial application

 Transgenic animals can also be created to produce products of

industrial value.
 E.g - Biosteel
- high strength fiber material made from recombinant spider-silk like
protein which is produced in the milk of transgenic goats.
- the protein is harvested from the milk, purified and transformed
into microfibers
- it is planned to use these fibers for bullet proof vest.
4.Conservation & ecology

 Biotechnology also plays a role in discovering, identifying, and analyzing

genetic diversity in endangered species through the techniques of genetic
characterization of individuals in a population.
 This could lead to regulation and conservation of genetic diversity.
 E.g
- The National Zoological Garden of South Africa has a genetic management
research group which is focusing on genetic diversities in endangered or
threatened species, including the extent and effects of inbreeding, development
of molecular markers for species identification.
Ecology
 To reduce environmental impact of livestock farming.
 Transgenic animals are being created to improve the use of phosphorus to lessen the
environmental impact of animal manure.
 E.g 1 – EnviropigTM
- capable to digest plant phosphorus more efficiently than normal unmodified pigs.
- they produce phytase in their saliva which is active in acid environment of the
stomach and this break downs the indisgestible phytic acid into phosphate which is easily
digested by the pig.
- normal pig require phospates supplementation in their diet, in order to help them
digest the phytic acid from their food (corn, barley and soy bean basically contain 50-70%
phosphorus) which later increase the phosphorus content in the manure.
- the phosphorus may leach into water in ponds, rivers and streams, which facilitates
algal growth, resulting in reduced oxygen concentration in the water and death of fish and
other aquatic animals.
- EnviropigTM do not require phosphate supplementation and excrete less phosphorus,
reducing the potential of water pollution.
 E.g 2 – Production of infertile fish.
 Some species of fish being farmed are not indigenous to the area and
can pose an ecology threat if they were to enter the natural
ecosystem.
 Alter the chromosome composition of the fish to make them infertile
and thus reduce the risk.
5. Animal forensics

 Is a new and developing field.

 E.g – the agricultural research council’s animal production institute, Molecular
Division at Irene offers animal forensic identification.
- they provide a domestic animal DNA profiling service to the South African
Police Service and the farming community to facilitate prosecution stock thieves.
- the ARC maintains a national allele database for domestic animal to ensure
animals can be positively identified.
- A DNA reference catalogue stores samples collected by the owner which
can be referenced to a sample collected at a crime scene and or in the case of
stock theft to make a positive identification.
 The End
THANK YOU FOR COMING
TUTORIAL 1
1. What is the meaning of ‘Animal Biotechnology’ and its objectives?
2. Humans began domesticating animals more than 10,000 years ago beginning with…………
3. Name 3 technologies that mentioned in the lecture notes.
4. Name 5 areas/ fields that got benefit from animal biotechnology.
5. What is Bio steel?
6. The technology in which gene is deleted or inactivated are called …………………
7. …………………… is the process of transplanting organs, tissues or cells between different
species.
8. Transgenic pigs was used as human disease model. Name one of the disease.
9. Name one of the most promising animal used in xenotransplantation.
10. What is the code of module Animal Biotechnology?

All the best 