Aussie plan to genetically engineer new super species of wild animals
By editing the DNA of wild animals, experts believe they can be a force for good in nature.
Wild animals could soon have their DNA altered with genetic engineering thanks to a scientific collaboration involving an Australian research team. The plan could allow them to kill off some invasive predators, and also enhance native animals so they can fight off disease.
The gene editing process was developed by California Institute of Technology and Macquarie University and uses the increasingly advanced CRISPR tool which can be used like a pair of scissors to cut and add to DNA. Unlike other methods of gene editing, the new “Allele Sail” process can be done with very minor edits and the changes are inherited normally through breeding, meaning the introduced foreign DNA does not become part of the species forever.
“Allele Sails offer a simple way to alter the traits and fates of wild populations... (they) could be most adept at spreading small changes that are indistinguishable from natural mutations,” lead author Michelle Johnson said.
Cane toads and mozzies in the firing line
The team believe public and regulatory concerns about gene-editing methods, and their risks will be negated because of their advancements.
And they believe the technique could have real world benefits, including impairing the ability of mosquitoes to transmit pathogens. This advancement could prove particularly important as Australia gets hotter because of climate change, creating conditions where dengue fever carrying mosquitoes could become established on the mainland.
They're also focused on one of Australia’s most destructive pests, the cane toad. Its poisonous glands are responsible for rapid declines in iconic species like the northern quoll. But the team theorises the process could be used to make their glands less toxic.
The introduction of feral rats and mice have been an even bigger problem, competing with native mammals, and destroying farmers’ crops when they reach plague proportions. To combat them, scientists have used poisons which have quickly lost their potency over time.
So increasingly destructive poisons have been developed, which are now sold on the shelves of Coles, Woolworths and Bunnings, with little information displayed about the danger they pose to owls, eagles and other native wildlife. Now, it’s believed the Allele Sail gene-altering method could reverse resistance in rodents. And this could negate any reason to create even stronger poisons.
How gene editing can slow extinctions
The development could also be used to help vulnerable animals fight off extinction. Australia has the worst mammalian extinction on the record and there are currently over 2,200 plants and animals on our national threatened species list.
When populations of animals plummet they can become inbred. But the new gene editing process could create variation in their DNA, creating a super species that can fight off disease more easily. It could also theoretically help coral resist bleaching as waters continue to warm because of climate change.
“Of course, any genetic modification of wild populations will need careful study of potential environmental impacts, but Allele Sails could be an important option in situations where conventional conservation and pest management tools have not been enough on their own,” Macquarie University’s Dr Maciej Maselko said.
The research was published in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday.
Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the week’s best stories.
