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China's first transgenic cloned cow gives birth to healthy offspring

By Huang Jin (People's Daily Online)    11:17, September 16, 2015
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China's first transgenic cloned cow gives birth to healthy offspring
Photo taken on Sept. 15, 2015 shows the cloned, genetically modified cow Niu Niu and its calf at the experimentation base of Beijing University of Agriculture in Beijing, capital of China. A cloned, genetically modified cow has given birth to a healthy calf in China, a crucial step toward producing domestic marbled beef. The calf's mother, Niu Niu, is one of two clones born in 2012 with a gene inserted to increase the fat level of their muscle. (Xinhua/Li Wen)

Niu Niu, a transgenic cloned cow with fatty fat connexin gene, has successfully produced offspring in August. This means that the application of somatic cell transgenic cloning technology has made a key step forward in cultivating a new variety of beef cattle. Chinese consumers are expected to enjoy high quality domestic marbled beef in the near future.

According to Ni Hemin, a professor of Beijing Agricultural College, his team carried out artificial insemination to Niu Niu on Nov. 2, 2014. Niu Niu gave birth to a second generation of "transgenic cow" on August 28. Weighing 17 kg, the baby cow is in healthy condition.

The successful reproduction of the transgenic cloned cow proves that cloned cow is capable of propagation; the fatty fat connexin gene can been inherited as it has been found inside the baby cow; the transgenic cloned cow has no adverse effects on the surrounding environment, therefore the somatic cell transgenic cloning technology can be safely applied in the production of transgenic animals. 

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(Editor:Huang Jin,Bianji)

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