The first MSTN gene-edited lake sheep was born

Original title: The first MSTN gene-edited lake sheep was born
How to cultivate new breeds of sheep with more lean meat and less fat has been a problem that agricultural experts and farmers expect to solve. January 5, the reporter learned from the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Institute of Livestock Research, using gene editing technology, access to the world's first muscle growth inhibition (MSTN) gene editing lake sheep.
recent years, China's lamb consumption has increased year by year, but lamb production can not meet consumer demand. According to statistics, domestic lamb consumption reached 5.27 million tons in 2019, an increase of 3.9% over the previous year, while lamb production was 4.88 million tons, an increase of only 2.6% over the previous year. At the same time, due to the tightening of environmental protection policies, small and medium-sized retail investors gradually withdraw, sheep stock decline year by year, the future growth of lamb production will mainly depend on the contribution of science and technology.
According to Cao Shaoxuan, chief expert of the Herbivores Research Office of the Institute of Livestock Research of the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, MSTN is a inhibitor of muscle growth, and the natural mutation of the gene causes the bimuscularity of Belgian blue cattle, which allows animals to grow faster, while muscle development is like a bodybuilder.
researchers used CRISPR/Cas9 technology, a new generation of precision gene editing tools, to edit the MSTN gene of Jiangsu characteristic sheep breed Lake Sheep, and on September 20, 2020, obtained the world's first MSTN gene editing lake sheep, so far five have been born, two of which have grown significantly faster, two months older than ordinary lake sheep about 25%.
Lake sheep is the first local species included in the national list of animal and poultry species protection, with high fertility, moisture-resistant heat, suitable feeding and so on, was widely introduced to the country's main sheep breeding areas, as hybrid mother or breeding material used to improve the breeding capacity of local sheep, but the ability of lake sheep to produce meat needs to be improved. The birth of MSTN gene-edited lake sheep opens up a new way to maintain the original excellent characteristics of lake sheep, while making up for the defects of small size and poor meat production performance.
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