Mr. Green Genes. Image: Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species Mr. Green Genes may be the United States’ first fluorescent cat, but South Korean researchers at Gyeongsang National University in Seoul first introduced the world to glow-in-the-dark cats in December 2007. Korean scientists not only manipulated the genes of cats to make them fluorescent, they also claimed to clone them.
At first glance, it seems a bit incongruous that the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species was a key partner in the development of Mr. Green Genes, a cat that glows under fluorescent light. The cat’s fluorescent attributes -- eyes, gums and tongue -- were created through manipulation of its DNA with enhanced green fluorescent protein.
When introducing Green Genes on national television. Betsy Dresser, director of the Audubon research center, said the team wanted to learn if they could harmlessly introduce a gene into the cat’s genetic sequence to create a transgenic cat. Not surprisingly, transgenics, particularly in animals, comes with concerns. Opponents of such manipulation view it as an unethical alteration of the natural order of the universe. But many scientific researchers point to the life-giving advances attained through animal research, and include transgenic research as one of many tools for enhancing human life, and potentially salvaging animal species that might otherwise become extinct.
Audubon and its research partner, Louisiana State University Health Science’s Center, say the fluorescent gene will serve as a marker allowing researchers to study the cat’s biology on a cellular level and be a first step -- in what is sure to be many -- toward development of therapy for combating genetic diseases.
Mr. Green Genes may be the United States’ first fluorescent cat, but South Korean researchers at Gyeongsang National University in Seoul first introduced the world to glow-in-the-dark cats in December 2007. Korean scientists not only manipulated the genes of cats to make them fluorescent, they also claimed to clone them.
The Turkish Angora kitten on the left appears green under flourescent light while the one on the right, with genes modified with green flourescent protein, appears red. Image: Gyeongsang National University
But the Korean cats carried the lingering stigma of a previous hoax by a prominent Korean researcher who had been exposed for faking a breakthrough in human cloning in 2005.
In the absence of Captain Kangaroo and the original Mr. Green Jeans, the Captain’s frequent animal-toting guest, Mr. Green Genes the cat was rolled out nationally on the Today Show Oct. 23.
