Scientists from Auburn University combine catfish with alligator DNA to create the future human food. This is done in order to make catfish that do not carry disease.
In research published this January, they attempted to modify catfish with cathelicidin genes from alligators. Cathelicidins are found in the gut and function as antimicrobial peptides that help living things fight disease.
Launching Science Alert, Wednesday (8/2/2023) there is a significant comparison between catfish that have been modified and those that live in the wild. The modified catfish had a 2-5 times higher survival rate.
Furthermore, the researchers added cathelicidin to the genes for reproductive hormones. Hence, it reduces the catfish's ability to reproduce. Nevertheless, according to them, it is actually good to prevent genetic contamination of hybrid fish with wild catfish.
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