Genetics: Breeding Homozygous Animals for Transgenic Research

Transgenic Research and Breeding

• The primary purpose of breeding homozygous animals together is to produce offspring that are homozygous for a specific transgenic trait.
• An animal that carries a transgenic trait in its genome is called a transgenic animal or a genetically modified organism (GMO).
• The advantage of using homozygous animals in transgenic research is that they can pass the transgenic trait to all their offspring, ensuring that the trait is expressed consistently and reliably.
• Breeding two homozygous animals together results in offspring that are also homozygous for the transgenic trait, as they inherit two copies of the gene (one from each parent).
• It is important to ensure that the transgenic trait is fixed in the offspring to ensure consistency and reliability of the trait expression, as well as to minimize the risk of losing the trait through genetic segregation.