A pre-breeding screening program for transgenic boars based on fluorescence in situ hybridization assay

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Biotechnology
• Genetics

Background:

• Efficient transgenic herd expansion relies on breeding animals that can transmit transgenes.
• Transgenic pigs currently lack pre-breeding screening, leading to wasted resources on non-productive animals.
• A systematic screening program is crucial for economical and efficient transgenic pig herd expansion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel three-step pre-breeding screening program for transgenic boars.
• To enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of transgenic pig herd expansion.
• To identify transgenic boars with the proven ability to produce transgenic offspring.

Main Methods:

• Developed a three-step screening protocol combining fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with standard pre-breeding assessments.
• Step 1: FISH assay to identify transgenic boars.
• Step 2: FISH analysis of sperm to identify boars producing transgenic sperm.
• Step 3: FISH assessment of in vitro fertilization embryos to confirm the ability to produce transgenic embryos.

Main Results:

• The program effectively eliminates non-transgenic boars and those unable to produce transgenic sperm or embryos.
• Identifies boars with high-quality semen and transgenic sperm.
• Confirms the capacity of selected boars to produce transgenic embryos.

Conclusions:

• The proposed three-step screening program offers an economical and efficient strategy for transgenic pig herd expansion.
• This systematic approach ensures only breeding-capable transgenic boars are utilized.
• The program's methodology may be adaptable for pre-breeding screening in other transgenic large animal models.