Transgenic Organisms In Infectious Disease Research

What are they?

• Transgenic organisms are organisms that are injected with foreign DNA from another organism

How are they made?

• DNA Microinjection

• Retrovirus-mediated gene transfer:

• Embryonic stem cell-mediated gene transfer

• Mouse • Bacteria• Plants • Fungi • Malaria parasites• Mosquitoes • Goats

Some Transgenic organisms used in infectious disease research

Mouse studies • Scientist milk animals for malaria

vaccine

• We can now drink staphylococcal free milk

• HFG provides protection from malaria

• Malaria infections increase HIV viral load

• Mighty mouse

Bacteria • Symbiotic bacteria fights

Chagas disease

• Symbiotic bacteria fights malaria

• Life-shortening Wolbachia can control infections

Plants • Eat potatoes to be

vaccinated • Human lysosome gene

increase resistance of plants to bacteria and fungal infections

• Human SAM genes helps plants cope with stress

• Human antibodies expressed in soya beans

Malaria, Mosquitoes and Plasmodium • Drug screening with transgenic

malaria parasites• Plasmodium falciparium • Plasmodium berghei

• Using infection to kill infection

• Antimalarial genes expressed in the gut of mosquitoes reduces infections

• Goats helps in the fight against malaria

• Goat milk clears e.coli infection

Problems • Multiple insertions: too much protein.

• Insertion into an essential gene: lethality.

• Insertion into a gene leading to gene-silencing: no protein.

• Insertion in a different area can lead to differential gene regulation

• Ethical issues

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