| Abstract: | The import, sale and possession of fluorescent transgenic zebrafish, offered under the name “GloFish?” in U.S. aquarium shops, are not permitted in the European Union. A PCR-based method has been developed to detect transgenic
zebrafish harbouring the gene (dsRed) coding for the red fluorescent protein, originally isolated from the marine sponge Discosoma striata. Two types of PCR have been performed: (i) PCR to detect amplifiable genomic zebrafish DNA was checked using primers specific
for the zebrafish parvalbumin gene; (ii) PCR with primers to specifically amplify the dsRed gene. In both PCR systems, genomic DNA isolated from wild type zebrafish was used as control template, in the second PCR
system, the plasmid dsRed2-N1 was used as a positive control.
Applying this method to several specimens of presumed GloFish? from traders in the Netherlands and Germany revealed the presence of transgenic fish. In addition, a rapid method for screening
zebrafish suspected to be genetically modified has been developed by measuring the fluorescence of water-soluble protein. |
