Animal Science and

Biotechnology
The physiological needs of animals
for growth and reproduction.
Physiological Needs of Animals

 Food/ Nutrients
 Animals CANNOT produce their own food
 Must consume other living organisms for energy
 Respiration
 Converting sugars to chemical energy
 Occurs in the mitochondria

 Some nutrients can be absorbed through

environmental conditions- i.e.: sunlight
Physiological Needs of Animals

 Oxygen
 Usually absorbed by animals from the air
 Occasionally absorbed through water or
other means (ex- fish)
 All animals are AEROBIC
 Aka- they will die without oxygen
Physiological Needs of Animals

 Water
 Other than air, the single most important
factor in the survival of all animals
 Animals can only last a few days at most
without water, though they can last days
without food.
Physiological Needs of Animals

 Other Important Inorganic Nutrients

 Vitamins
 B12, A, E, C, etc.
 Minerals
 Calcium, Phosphorus, etc.
Immune System Characteristics

 Lymph System
 In advanced animals
 Utilizes white blood cells and antibodies to
attack any antigens in the blood of an
organism
 Vaccines help the body form antibodies
more quickly, while under less stress
Animal Science and
Biotechnology
Analyze the impact of biotechnology
on animal disease prevention,
diagnosis, and management
Animal Disease Diagnosis

 ELISA tests
 Utilize antigens to determine the presence
of antibodies for a given pathogen in a
blood sample
 Antibodies indicate the presence of a
particular pathogen being fought
 The tests are usually produced from
antigens extracted from research animals
Animal Disease Diagnosis

 Bacterial Infections
 Are tested in animals by biotechnology by
culturing samples in an incubator
 Different agar medias can be used to
determine the presence of different bacteria
upon examination after growth
Animal Disease Prevention and
Treatment
 Biotechnology has enabled researchers
to produce animals with genetic
resistance to many pathogens
 Use gene segments from naturally resistant
organisms
 Find the gene in sharks that makes them
resistant to cancer for use in humans
 Produce animals with gene segments coding for
the production of proteins to attack potential
parasitic organisms
Animal Disease Prevention and
Treatment
 The production of antibodies in one
organism for use in another is an
important biotechnology technique used
in vaccines
 Jumpstarts the immune system of an animal
 Also used in humans
Animal Disease Prevention and
Treatment
 The utilization of genes coding for the
production of certain medical compounds
(including antibiotics) in a variety of
livestock enables agriculturalists to
 Provide preventative medication in semi-
controlled doses to populations on a large
scale
Animal Science and
Biotechnology
The role of genetic engineering and
biotechnology on improving animal
breeding
Biotechnology Techniques in Animal
Breeding
 Artificial Insemination
 Process of extracting and diluting semen
from a male animal for use in a female
animal
 Allows for outstanding genetic
characteristics to be spread through a
population rapidly with minimal expense and
high success
 One ejaculate can produce more than 60 semen
straws in cattle and horses
Biotechnology Techniques in Animal
Breeding
 Cloning
 Rarely used in animals
 Expensive and large amounts of tissue damage
 Used for research or to preserve the most
outstanding traits and characteristics
 Usually requires the use of specialized sex
cells, though recent advancements with
enucleation have led to applications for
cloning other cells
Biotechnology Techniques in Animal
Breeding
 In Vitro Fertilization
 Process involving the removal of embryos
from a female for fertilization and insertion
into surrogate mothers for development
 Expensive and chancy (embryos could be
rejected by the surrogates)
 Many haploid cells and embryos may be
destroyed
Biotechnology Techniques in Animal
Breeding
 In Vitro Fertilization
 A more common method is transferring
fertilized eggs from a super-ovulated female
to other females
 One female can produce many times more
offspring
Problems with Biotechnology in
Animal Reproduction
 Genetic Diversity
 Could possibly decrease with increased use
of biotechnology
 Less diversity in breeds/ species
 Most important negative aspect of increased use
of biotechnology
Problems with Biotechnology in
Animal Reproduction
 Expense/ Technical Knowledge
 Some processes can easily be completed
on the farm
 Many techniques still require expensive
laboratory equipment or facilities.
Animal Science and
Biotechnology
Evaluate the function of hormones
in animal growth and body
regulation
Function of Animal Hormones

 Control animal growth and behavior

 Initiate physiological responses
necessary for the reproduction of
animals
 Located in specialized glands throughout
the body
 Pituitary gland, thyroid gland
Function of Animal Hormones
 Anabolic Steroids
 Specialized hormones that are partially
responsible for muscle growth and
development
 Even with prolonged use, steroid use in
animals has little effect on muscle and bone
 USDA and FDA have approved the use of low
levels of hormones in beef cattle, dairy cattle,
and hogs
 HORMONE USE IN POULTRY IS STRICTLY
PROHIBITED
Examples of Animal Hormones

 Bovine Somatotropine (BST)

 Naturally occurring hormone in dairy cows
that controls the process of milk production
 Extra BST produced by bacteria can be
injected into dairy cattle to increase milk
production
Examples of Animal Hormones

 Hormones important in sexual

reproduction and characteristics
 Estrogen
 Produced in large quantities in females
 Feminine characteristics

 Controls the menstrual cycle

 Testosterone
 Common in varying levels in males
 Can lead to aggression- castration
Animal Science and
Biotechnology
Practice biotechnology techniques
utilized in animal breeding.
Performing Artificial Insemination

 Analyzing the breeding potential of an

animal

 Likelihood that an offspring will possess the

same beneficial characteristics of the parent
Performing Artificial Insemination

 Semen Collection/ Analysis

 Semen is collected from male animals
 Sample is analyzed to measure
concentration and test motility/ viability
 Motility- movement of individual sperm cells
 Viability- # or % of active and functional sperm
cells in a sample
Performing Artificial Insemination

 Semen Collection/ Analysis

 Sample is then divided into 80+ straws and
flash frozen for long term storage
 Extension solutions- semen can be diluted and
stored for long periods of time
 Semen can remain viable for over 30 years
Performing Artificial Insemination

 Monitoring and Prepping the Female

 Female is monitored to predict time of
ovulation
 Can use hormones to induce ovulation in an
entire population or herd
 “Standing” is a good sign that ovulation is close

 If timing is not correct, artificial insemination

is useless because fertilization won’t
happen
Performing Artificial Insemination

 Thawing Semen
 Straws should be stored in a container
using liquid nitrogen to maintain subzero
temperatures
 Straws should be quickly removed from the
container, shaken, an immediatedly placed
in a water bath at 99 F for 15 seconds
 Shaking removes water from the exterior to
avoid breaking the seal
Performing Artificial Insemination
 Inseminating the Female

 Most methods utilize a specialized gun to

deliver the semen from the straw to the female
Performing In Vitro Fertilization &
Embryo Transfer
 Gathering Eggs
 In Vitro- Eggs are usually removed from the
ovaries in large quantities through simple
surgery
 Embryo Transfer- Eggs are fertilized in the
uterus of the female
 Female given hormone to induce super-ovulation
 During ovulation, the female is inseminated
(results in many viable embryos)
 A special catheter is used to take out the fertilized
eggs from the womb and into surrogate mothers
Performing In Vitro Fertilization &
Embryo Transfer
 Benefits of In Vitro Fertilization
 Requires the smallest amount of semen
 Ensures the production of viable embryos,
which can be stored indefinitely
 Often used in cloning because the sperm or
egg can be genetically manipulated prior to
fertilization
Animal Science and
Biotechnology
Trace the process of cloning in
animals
Cloning History

 First animal cloned was a tadpole in

1957
 First animal cloned from diploid cells was
Dolly the sheep in 1996
Animal Cloning Process

 The simplest method is the division of

fertilized eggs (embryos)
 All methods are expensive and result in
large losses of developing embryos
 Dolly was the only success out of 300+
attempts
Animal Cloning Process

 Most require the use of sex cells to

obtain genetic material
 Under normal conditions, diploid cells in
animals rarely differentiate
 Dolly was cloned from DNA removed from a
mammary cell placed into an enucleated
egg
Animal Cloning Process

 Tools
 Micromanipulator is the most important tool
 Used to divide cells, remove DNA, enucleate
cells, and reinsert DNA
Animal Cloning Issues

 Most animal clones produced are not

“true clone” since their production
utilizing enucleated eggs DOES NOT
alter all nucleic acids
 Clones retain the mitochondrial DNA of the
original egg
Animal Cloning Issues

 Environmental factors limit the

effectiveness of clones in producing
exact physical replicas of animals
 Clones may have identical DNA, yet have
different color patterns, be a different size,
and exhibit different mental/physical
characteristics depending on
ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS