Scientists Produce Glow-in-the-Dark Cats

[BainsBane]

When scientists insert rhesus macaque genes plus jellyfish genes into unfertilized cat eggs, the cats that result post-fertilization are resistant to feline immunodeficiency virus, which causes feline AIDS. They also glow fluorescent green under "special" lights. What if you do this to human eggs?

I don't really know, so let's just stick to talking about cat eggs. So yeah: Researchers at the Mayo Clinic have been creating glow-in-the-dark, FIV-resistant cats as part of their research on HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Through gamete-targeted lentiviral transgenesis, the official term for "messing with genes and cat eggs," the scientists don't actually cure the cats of FIV but gain a better understanding of what factors might thwart gene therapies. The glow effect helps scientists to track the activity of the cats' modified genes and cells.

As Mayo researcher Dr. Eric Poeschla told LiveScience, "We want to see if we can protect the domestic cat against its AIDS virus, if we can protect any species, eventually including ours, against its own AIDS virus." His group hopes their research can protect both humans and cats from their respective -IVs. Seems like the glow-in-the-dark aspect could also benefit both species by enabling humans to see their pet cats late at night en route to the bathroom, thereby preventing tripping accidents and cat-smotherings.

And yes, the glow-cats have names: TgCat1, TgCat2, and TgCat3.




http://gawker.com/5839142/scientists-produce-glow+in+the+dark-cats

[Warpy]

1. If I ever get another kitty

after the old lady goes on to her final reward, I want one of those. I hate stepping on a snoozing cat in the wrong part of the floor on my way to the bathroom in the middle of the night. If they glowed, I could see them.

[BainsBane]

6. Might be a trade off

in mousing ability if the mice can see kitty coming at night.

[loli phabay]

2. if they could just glow all the time, then i would see them at night on dark roads

[LuvNewcastle]

3. I never knew there was a feline AIDS. I learn something

every day on DU.

[Buns_of_Fire]

4. Imagine the implications of introducing something like that into the food chain.

Yeah, I know it doesn't work that way. Today. But tomorrow...?

[BainsBane]

5. They are doing some really weird shit

like cockroaches that have wires growing out of them people can control. Here are florescent fish. You can actually buy some of these creatures.
http://www.theworld.org/2012/09/glow-in-the-dark-fish/