Pig Micropigs

An article in the Smithsonian describes how scientists in a Chinese genomics institute used a common gene editing enzyme called TALENs to create micropigs, which weigh about 33 pounds at maturity. These micropigs were first created to study the human stomach bacteria and new medications, which can help answer questions about the human body itself. By using an enzyme to stop the pigs from growing, the researchers altered their DNA, which would then be passed down to their offspring. This is related to our enzyme unit, where we learned that enzymes can only break down specific substrate. By adding an enzyme that did not match the substrates used for the growth hormone receptors, the pigs growth hormone receptors stopped working, resulting in the micropigs to stop growing. This can not only be used for scientific purposes, but also public uses, like changing the color and pattern of the pigs’ coats, as mentioned at the end of the article. …show more content…
This then led into creating the micropigs to be pets for the public, which would help fund the institute’s research. By using a small Bama pig, weighing around 70-100 pounds, the researchers were able to use a common gene editing enzyme called TALENs to disable the growth hormone receptors of the cloned pig. This will then result in a pig that has been genetically modified to be small. When bred with a female Bama pig, the offspring will be small, roughly around 33 pounds when mature. Like many other cloned animals, there is the worry of health risks, but the micropigs have so far been kept from having debilitating health problems. With this great scientific creating, the researchers are also considering allowing customers to customize their pigs’ coat colors and