&w=3840&q=100)
India's first gene-edited sheep developed by Kashmir agriculture university
Scientists and researchers at the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) have developed India's first gene-edited sheep using the CRISPR-Cas9 technology.
'Through gene editing, we have targeted a gene in a sheep variety that helps in boosting its muscle weight and would give heavier, almost 30 per cent more weight than normal sheep. We have got the offspring from the mother, and one with the mutated gene is distinctly heavier than the non-mutated,' Vice Chancellor of SKUAST Dr Nazir Ahmed Ganai told Business Standard.
He added that the DNA of the mutated lamb, which is now three months old, will be sent to foreign research labs for further verification. The gene-edited lamb has been modified for the 'myostatin' gene – a regulator of muscle growth.
The feat was achieved by a team of researchers led by Dean Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, SKUAST-Kashmir, Riaz Ahmad Shah, after a research of around four years
Shah's team had previously cloned India's first Pashmina goat- 'Noori'- in 2012.
A few weeks ago, the Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan released the first gene-edited rice varieties in the world developed by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) scientists using the patented CRISPR-CAS9 technology.
The edited sheep contains no foreign DNA, distinguishing it from transgenic organisms and paving the way for regulatory approval under India's evolving biotech policy framework.
'The gene-edited sheep of the local 'merino' breed weighed almost the same as a normal lamb at birth, but within three months, it became at least 100 grams heavier than a non-edited lamb,' Ganai said.
He said that when it comes to wool count, a gene-edited sheep won't be much different from a non-gene edited one, and both will give around 2-2.5 kg of wool. 'But being heavier, the gene-edited sheep would give more meat than a non-edited one,' Ganai said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
Nanoplastics can make E. coli infections worse: study
Nanoplastics are bad news even though each one is only as small as a smoke particle. Research has shown that micro- and nano-plastics are present at the top of the tallest mountains, at the bottom of the deepest trenches, and even in our bloodstream, tissues, and in newborns as well. Their build-up has many toxic effects, including damage to cells and the genetic material inside. Now, a new study from researchers at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, has revealed that nanoplastics aren't just risky on their own: they also increase the risk from pathogens. The researchers found that nanoplastics with positively charged surfaces could make Escherichia coli, a foodborne pathogen, more virulent. The findings were published in the Journal of Nanobiotechnology. How bacteria work E. coli bacteria have a negative charge on their outer membranes. This can attract positively charged nanoplastics and increase the stress on the bacterium, making it produce more Shiga-like toxins. These are the proteins E. coli secrete and which cause disease. In older studies, scientists have looked at the impact of charged surfaces on non-pathogenic bacteria. The new study examined how charged surfaces affected a particular strain of E. coli. Similarly, while previous studies focused primarily on free-floating cells, the new one studied both free-floating cells and biofilms — a community of bacteria sticking to each other over a surface. Biofilms are hotspots where bacteria exchange genetic material with their neighbours. The research process The team members used a pathogenic E. coli strain that was resistant to the antibiotic rifampicin. They cultured the strain on agar plates and a nutrient-rich liquid medium called LB broth. Then they exposed the bacteria to polystyrene-based nanoplastics with three kinds of charges: positive, negative, and neutral. The team also cultured a second set of E. coli cells in LB broth for use as a control. This group wasn't exposed to nanoparticles. Finally, the researchers observed the growth of the free-floating cells and the biofilm at seven- and 15-day intervals, and used different tests to quantify the growth. For the study's purposes, the researchers used an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) to track interactions between nanoparticles and free-floating cells. Unlike microscopy techniques that require samples to be prepared in protracted processes, ESEM can image 'wet' samples without too much preparation. It also operates in a low-vacuum or controlled gas atmosphere that prevents natural fibres and cellulose from becoming charged. The scientists conducted two tests to measure the concentration of carbohydrates and proteins in the biofilm. They performed a catalase assay to determine the cells' response to oxidative stress. E. coli produce the catalase enzyme to protect themselves against oxidative stress. Higher stress would mean more catalase activity. The team also extracted RNA from the bacteria for study, because gene transfers take place across biofilms. Changes in RNA may indicate such transfers have happened. What the study found The investigations revealed that nanoplastics with surface charges did add to the toxicity of bacterial cells. At first, charged nanoplastics kept cells from growing. But some cells eventually overcame the stress and began to grow. The development and viability of cells exposed to charged nanoplastics were different from those of cells that weren't. Changes in the bacterial RNA suggested genes were changing to ensure the E. coli survived better and became more able to cause disease. The study said both positively and negatively charged nanoplastics caused these changes. Beena D.B., assistant professor of biology at Azim Premji University's School of Arts and Sciences, has conducted preliminary work on the effect of microplastics on soil microbes and said her team had observed similar results. She cautioned that microplastic-induced biofilms are a significant health hazard and that increasing horizontal gene transfer between microbes raised the risk of them developing antibiotic resistance. It also causes excessive production of proteins that contribute to more severe disease, she added. (Manaswini Vijayakumar is interning with The Hindu.)
News18
a day ago
- News18
E-Ball Revolution: How A Chhattisgarh Scientist Is Cleaning India's Waters With Microbes
Last Updated: Dr Prashant Sharma's e-ball cleans polluted water naturally and affordably, offering a lasting eco-solution In a quiet corner of Chhattisgarh, a scientist has sparked a silent revolution, using microbes instead of machines to cleanse India's polluted waters. This scientist, affectionately known as the 'Water Man', has earned nationwide acclaim for his groundbreaking and environmentally conscious innovation. In an age where technological solutions are often expensive and complex, Dr Prashant Sharma from Surguja has devised this simple yet impactful method that offers a model for the rest of the country. After dedicating 13 years to meticulous research, Dr Prashant Sharma developed the 'E-Ball' – a biological sphere containing millions of microbes capable of purifying polluted ponds and drains naturally over extended periods. Initial trials, supported by the Ambikapur Municipal Corporation, delivered remarkable outcomes. Stagnant, foul-smelling drains and debris-filled ponds, previously resistant to mechanical and chemical treatments, were effectively cleansed by the E-Ball. Scientific assessments of BOD, COD, and pH levels indicated that water treated with this method could be considered potable. Affordable, Sustainable, And Eco-Conscious Traditional water purification methods can cost between Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh per acre annually. In contrast, the E-Ball achieves comparable results at a significantly lower cost, at around Rs 7,000 per acre per year. Most importantly, this solution is eco-friendly and poses no harm to aquatic ecosystems. A key feature of the E-Ball is its ability to foster a self-sustaining colony of beneficial microbes within the water body, ensuring continuous purification without repeated intervention. This renders it a permanent and sustainable solution, unlike temporary chemical treatments. Dr Prashant Sharma, who earned his PhD from Delhi University, returned to Ambikapur University in November 2024 after gaining international experience in the USA, South Korea, and Poland. His journey underscores how socially driven scientific innovation can lead to cost-effective, impactful environmental solutions. He stands as a source of inspiration for aspiring scientists across the nation. First Published: June 05, 2025, 10:28 IST
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
Meet India's first gene-edited sheep, born in a Srinagar lab, now a healthy six-month-old
Six months ago, Professor Riyaz Ahmad Shah and his team at the Embryo Biotechnology Lab of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) in Srinagar celebrated a quiet success – the birth of a Kashmir Merino, India's first gene-edited sheep. But the team didn't rush to announce its arrival to the world – they waited, given the inherent uncertainties of scientific breakthroughs. The announcement was finally made last week after the results were validated by gene sequencing and standardised. 'This marks a new era in genetic research and has put us on the future path of transgenics in animals (inserting a foreign gene in an animal),' says Prof Shah, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry at SKUAST. Gene-editing of livestock animals is a growing area of research in India with significant applications targeted at enhanced meat yield and milk production, disease resistance and resilience to impacts of climate change. Prof Shah and his team edited the sheep's myostatin gene. 'This particular gene is a negative growth regulator. By targeting this gene, we can increase the muscle mass of a sheep by 30 per cent,' says Prof Shah. Talking about the significance of the project, Dr Naresh Selokar, Senior Scientist, Animal Biotechnology at National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) in Karnal, says, 'In the Indian context, this (gene-editing of sheep) is a very significant achievement, especially considering the trait (gene) that has been targeted. 'Given our population and the huge demand for meat, without gene-editing, it is impossible to change the trait of a farm animal or to make them disease resistant. This is already an easy and approved method for production globally… In India, we need to have more high-quality, disease-resistant produce through gene editing,' says Dr Selokar, who is credited with developing the first gene-edited embryo of a buffalo in 2024. It was in 2020 that Prof Shah and his core team at SKUAST's Embryo Biotechnology Lab — Dr Suhail Magray, Dr Muneer Dar, Dr Younus Farooq, Dr Nida Handoo, Dr Syed Hilal, Dr Abrar and Dr Nafis — embarked on their ambitious project. The embryo of the sheep was first kept under laboratory conditions for some time and then transferred to a surrogate mother, before being gene-edited in July last year. To edit the myostatin gene of the sheep, the team used CRISPR-Cas9, the genome editing technology, which won Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna the Nobel Prize in Chemistry that very year. The gene-edited sheep was finally born in December last year. It's now a healthy six-month-old, housed at a farm on the Shuhama campus of the Faculty of Veterinary Science. The researchers say it weighed 3.15 kg at birth and has gained 'significant weight' since then. 'We specifically chose the myostatin gene since the goal is to increase the muscle mass of sheep. Any technological advancement in livestock and agriculture is meant to increase the farmer's income and this is an important step towards that,' says Prof Shah. Their journey, says Dr Suhail Magray, wasn't without hurdles. 'We tried different techniques to get the desired results. We failed the first three times, before we got the breakthrough,' he says. In a span of 15 years, SKUAST's Centre of Animal Biotechnology has taken a leap from cloning to gene-editing. In 2012, when the lab was in its infancy, it developed the world's first pashmina goat clone, which it named Noori, using the somatic cell nuclear transfer technique. The birth of Noori was seen as a breakthrough in cloning of endangered species. Noori was born on March 9, 2012 and died in March 2023 when it was 11 years old — the average age for the pashmina goat. Their lab is now working on another gene edit — FGF5 (Fibroblast growth factor) — that will help improve the fibre quality of sheep. 'The beginning has been made,' says Dr Magray. 'Now, we can work on other genes as well that would help to make the animals disease resistant.' With the success of their latest project, Prof Shah and his team are already preparing for the next leap — transgenics. 'We are already working on combining cloning with gene-editing to enhance the technique but our next step is to move towards transgenics,' says Prof Shah. 'Transgenics is important if we are to produce proteins of therapeutic importance – if we can, for instance, produce protein in the milk of an animal, that animal will work as a factory of proteins; animals can be pharmaceutical factories, we can have anti-cancer drugs. But for that, we have to have controlled conditions and bio-secure zones.' A pioneer in genetics, Prof Shah was a PhD student at NDRI, Karnal, and was part of the team that's credited with the first buffalo cloning in the world. The buffalo, Samrupa, didn't survive and six months later, the team developed the second buffalo clone, 'Garima'. Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter. ... Read More
