Sina Science and Technology News, March 30, Beijing time, according to foreign media reports, a research team recently said that they have found an effective method to block common cat allergens by using the gene editing technology CRISPR, and this hypoallergenic cat is as healthy as ordinary cats.
People often associate cat allergy with cat hair and dander, but these are not the real initiators. Cats will produce a protein called Fel d1, which is present in cat saliva and tears, and it will be attached to cat hair with the action of licking. 90% of people allergic to cats are actually allergic to this protein, accounting for about 20% of the whole population. Therefore, this protein has become the main target of scientists to alleviate cat allergy.
Researchers are trying to overcome this problem with their own methods. They hope to use CRISPR, the gene editing technology that won the Nobel Prize a few years ago, to produce cats with less or even zero Fel d1 protein secretion. The research team said that the latest research evidence shows that they can achieve this goal safely and effectively.
After analyzing the DNA of 50 domestic cats, they found that two genes closely related to the production of Fel d1 protein were suitable for editing with CRISPR technology. They compared the genes of these cats with those of eight wild cats and found that the two genes differed greatly between different species. This shows that Fel d1 protein does not have a key biological effect on cats, so even if it does not secrete this protein, it will not cause any health risks to cats. (Some cats are more suitable for people with allergies, such as Russian blue cats and Balinese cats, perhaps because they produce less Fel d1 protein). Finally, the team tried CRISPR gene editing on cat cells in the laboratory, which seemed to effectively block the production of Fel d1 protein, and did not seem to "accidentally injure" other genes.
The researchers said that these findings showed that "it is reasonable and feasible to delete the gene corresponding to Fel d1 protein, which can eliminate the allergen from the root, and will greatly benefit allergic patients."
In addition, people are also trying to use other methods to reduce the allergenicity of cats. At the beginning of 2020, a cat food company launched a cat food product line, which is mainly composed of egg protein, and can inhibit the generation of Fel d1 in the mouth of cats. The research carried out by the company found that after three weeks of eating this cat food, the Fel d1 content in cat hair and dander decreased by 47% on average. In addition, researchers are developing a cat vaccine to reduce the secretion of this protein by the cat's immune system.
The participants of this new study pointed out that there may be many ways to reduce fel d1 protein produced by cats. But people who keep cats know that cats are shedding their hair anytime, anywhere. Therefore, a small amount of Fel d1 protein may still accumulate together with household dust, causing a serious allergic threat. But if we use gene editing technology and start from the root, we may be able to breed cats with real hypoallergenicity.
Of course, these studies are still at an early stage. Scientists will continue to improve and test this technology in the laboratory and on cats. If the effect is as expected and there are no side effects, the next step is to try to conduct safe gene editing for adult cats. (Leaf)
