Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The other day a friend and I were talking physics and biology and having a great time drinking some brews when the topic of the albino came up. Him not being a reptile person, but more of a physicist that studies regulatory genetics (quoting him on that one, ph.d) asked about albino leaftail geckos. I told him they didn't exist but that it would be one sought after animal if it did. So the next thing he says is... "Lets make one, its really easy, I could do the genetic work in under a week." After listening to his spiel, I couldn't help but think how much biology has changed through the last few years. I wasn't aware of how simple in some ways it is to manipulate the genes of any animal to create what you want.

I'm obviously not going to engineer an albino with Uroplatus but I would with something like a chicken or a leopard gecko just to say I've done it and know how it works... You get what I'm saying there?

Someone else throw some feedback in here.

It's strange that I work at a major research facility that makes me question some of my ethics and morals, but engineering an albino for personal collection or profit, get real.

haha yea, the whole "lets go out and make one" idea seems really odd, farfetched to say the least. as far as i know, albinos just dont do as well in the wild because of the obvious fact they stick out like a sore thumb. the part i cant totally remember for sure if there are other reasons limiting albino survival, even outside of the wild. but yea, to go out and find one or to have someone breed one is one thing....to have someone take and genetically modify a stem cell or embryo in order to "create" an albino i far less desirable. thenagain, i think it would be pretty sweet to find a satanic that was white colored with pink eyes. to think about the possibilities is one thing, but to contemplate manipulating the possibilities yourself is another....

Its not something I personally would desire to do but its just a bit shocking that science has advanced enough that creating one is possible. Still a bit out there in my eyes but it would be interesting to use something more prolific (chicken or leopard gecko to create one.

Has anyone else heard of the random t albino that Zoo Imps had a while ago. I know it didn't survive but anyone heard of it?

jason

Well I am a biology guy, and you can't do it per se, because you would at the very least need to know the genes involved in pigmentation. Your friend is hitting the pipe to much saying he could do it in a week...what a joke.
-----
Uroplatus sikorae 1.1
Uroplatus henkeli
Ball python
Hogg Island Boa Constrictor
Several species of tarantula

I would have to agree with the previous stated. Your friend is fetching farther then he thinks. I am no genetic engineer or anything but you would need MANY MANY MANY of a species to create an albino. People in labs work with bacteria because there are millions of them and the chances of one animal having the "albino" gene lets say is probable. The chances of finding a uroplatus with the albino gene is improbabable so you owould have to do everything by guessing with many geckos. This would be a extremely time consukming procedure, nevermind money. Why do you think people buy their albino ball pythons rather then make em?

Mike

I do have a few questions science guy.

Is you phd in regulatory computational genomics? Do you work for a major university who funds your research? Was you phd in Biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, physics, or any combination of science there of?

No offense, but when don't know anything about someone's background do not attempt to make a comment, you can make yourself look like a donkey. As for my friend Dr. A. Kraemer. He's the doing his post doc research on regulatory computational genomics at of the same university I work at. If you know what regulatory computational genomics is, you would know that understanding and manipulating genes is something these scientists must understand and be fluent in.

The reason I know him is because I helped him find his apartment when he moved here from germany.

As for understanding pigmentation...whats your education?

but please go back and read the initial statement one more time as it should be taken as something more of a surprise the fact alone that it could be done in a lab.

jason

you've got a valid point there, while yea you would need to know the genes that control pigmentation, i cant imagine that would be all that difficult for advanced genetic researchers to locate or isolate. now i do admit jason, the way that this researcher said "lets go out and do it" was a bit far-fetched of an idea, but i would still deem the whole idea fully in the realm of possibility. amazing what we can do these days, but good thing theres rules, regulations, and ethics to keep some of those "mad scientists" under control. viper- i dont think he meant that they could go out, start research on day 1 and by day 7 have an albino leaftail growing, rather this researcher is capable enough of pinpointing the rigt genes and all to get the ball rolling. who knows. still an interesting concept.

he said something about using chickens, or leopard geckos, something that is much more prolific and easy to find one that is albino so they can find the albinistic gene.

That was the whole point. I work at a university where extremely advanced research in genetics is done. Isolating the genes is easy once you know what you are looking for. Alex, happens to be familiar with doing this type of work. Thats why he is eager to just do it.

Btw, if you are going to be engineering an albino, you are not searching for the gene, you are creating it. You alter the pigment to do what you direct it to.

California Insitute of Technology is on the forefront of genomics research.

cheers
Jason

p.s. thank you mike and crestie.

"Btw, if you are going to be engineering an albino, you are not searching for the gene, you are creating it. You alter the pigment to do what you direct it to."
this is something i know absolutely nothing about, sounds interesting and complicated. but i guess we're all good at what we're interested in so maybe not for some people or if you have the right equipment.

No, don't know much I'll admit that, but I know he made it sound easier then it is. Did I burst someone's bubble?

Mike

PS - Thanks for reminding me not to take life so seriously

I don't kno where all 0f you people have been? Gene manipulation is old news in a sense. The genetic revolution is what most of this time period will be known for besides spinning rims and rap. We can already splice differnt animals together, grow human body parts on rats use animals to supply human blood, clone, etc etc etc. The thought that making an albino would be immoral is completlly absurd. If anything it would strengthen the lines by avoiding the other faulty genes that come with natural albinos. But I do have to say it would suck the fun right out of the hobby, I would love it and hate it at the same time! At least for every one else. But who cares about albinos, why not creat a totally new color pigment producing gene like a fire engine red mossy. Hell one day well probablly be able to creat reptiles with small portriats on there backs.
-Eli