China successfully transformed the white sea cucumber gene

Chinese scientists have successfully studied the method of transforming white sea cucumber genes - Chinese specialties considered to be more expensive than gold-coated kidney tonic, paving the way for future mass production.

Successfully transformed white sea cucumber gene

Sea cucumbers or sea cucumbers are soft, long-bodied creatures, often found on the ocean floor. According to Sina, for a long time, traditional Chinese medicine has considered sea cucumbers as a kidney tonic , which can cure many male diseases such as kidney failure, impotence, nocturia, impaired sexual function.

White sea cucumber is a rare mutation, sold at a high price.(Photo: Flickr)

Sea cucumbers are rich in amino acids, content up to 86.5%; Arginine accounts for 11.9%. Ariginine is the main ingredient for collagen synthesis, which promotes cell regeneration, restores muscle damage, eliminates fatigue, and restores physical strength. They are considered specialty in China for thousands of years.

White sea cucumber is a rare mutation , usually appearing at a rate of 1 / 200,000. They cannot inherit this trait for later generations and often die early because of the inability to disguise themselves to avoid enemies.

Earlier this year, the team of Yang Hongsheng, deputy director of the Oceanographic Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, created the first complete gene map of sea cucumber and discovered some new functional genes.

With the technique of modifying the MITF gene to produce "albino" trait in sea cucumbers, the expert team can produce 150 million white sea cucumbers, suitable for aquatic farms. They cannot accurately estimate the market price of white sea cucumbers in the future due to uncertainty about the health and feeding process as they grow.

A mature white sea cucumber weighing about 200 grams, can be sold for more than 100,000 yuan ($ 16,000), equivalent to 500 yuan / gram, more than double the current gold price. In fact, many people believe that white sea cucumbers can be used to cure many diseases such as China successfully changed white sea cucumber gene.

Sea cucumbers are often made into special dishes in luxury restaurants in China.(Photo: SCMP)

" Sea cucumbers may be an important key to solving many mysteries of the marine life, " SCMP quoted Yang as saying. He emphasized the cost and their benefits to humans not the sole purpose of this study. Experts plan to continue research to determine whether white sea cucumber is a nutritious food or a precious medicine.

According to the scientific community, sea cucumber is a species with many strange behaviors rarely seen in the animal world. They can hibernate in the summer, break and regenerate the intestines, even release a chemical to disintegrate the body and disappear without leaving a trace.