http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gHJaNaaFfES6oXFDq_KLTFGCDYtA?index=0SKorean researchers clone glowing puppies
7 hours ago
SEOUL (AFP) — South Korean scientists said they have created dogs that glow red by using a cloning technique that opens the way for research into human diseases.
The four cloned beagles known as Ruppy -- Ruby Puppy -- contain a fluorescent protein that makes them glow red under ultraviolet light. Even in daylight, their skin and claws appear pink.
Scientists said the creation of the glowing pups shows it will be possible to implant genes related to human diseases into dogs for research purposes.
"They are the world's first transgenic dogs," Professor Lee Byeong-Chun who leads the Seoul National University (SNU) team told AFP.
"This means we'll be able to switch genes in dogs for genes related to human diseases such as Parkinson's Disease for research," he said, adding that dogs suffer from 224 illnesses that also afflict humans.
The team created the beagles by infecting dog fibroblast cells with a virus that inserted the fluorescent gene into the cell nucleus.