2 W+ M, Z Y* J& w # ^# W4 u0 T, K1 p0 x6 [' d4 Y: | o( _) ?- d$ a) s- Q公仔箱論壇A glowing bunny sounds like a creature from Jefferson Airplane’s psychedelic-laced song, “White Rabbit,” but real fluorescent rabbits were recently born at the University of Istanbul, Turkey.2 H- H0 |% ?) m8 `
Rabbits join a growing list of fluorescent fur-bearers. Genetic engineers have created glowing dogs, cats, pigs and mice by inserting a gene from a jellyfish into the mammals’ DNA. The jellyfish gene codes for a protein that emits light when exposed to ultraviolet light. 5 C3 |; |3 O9 x. X; TThe jellyfish gene adds an obvious physical change to an engineered animal. This allows scientists to know that genetic material successfully transferred into a new organism.8 D# f$ o3 d y+ t( l7 a
For example, when Mayo Clinic researchers genetically engineered cats to carry a protein that defends the animals from infection by the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV, the cat version of HIV), the scientists added the fluorescent gene along with the FIV-resistance gene. That way they knew that any cat that fluoresced also carried protein protection against FIV, a trait that would otherwise be invisible. , f# ?& m- D2 [1 B7 j公仔箱論壇( By Tim Wall Published August 15, 2013 Discovery News ) 5 a* j7 X" s& B, } Y }+ q ( \9 n' m; J$ A: G# {1 l' m- eos.tvboxnow.com9 j" ~* z' ?; g) e6 F