O o d h e a d p u b L i s h I n g L i m I t e d

1.7
Conclusion and future trends
Transgenic sheep research in recent years has raised many possibilities for
modifying wool and its production. Intense work in this area has ceased for
several reasons, including the current low level of acceptance of molecular
genetic manipulation as a farm production procedure. However, a major
reason is also the high cost of ‘blue-sky’ research and the economics of
applying any proven genetic result. Research in Australia during the 1985–
2000 period has certainly demonstrated that transgenes can be inserted into
the sheep genome and are actively expressed. Although sheep transgenic
research has not yielded any clearly defined application so far, the research
has demonstrated that over-expression of several wool keratin genes produces
a marked change in the balance of IF/KAP structural components of the
wool fibre altering the elastic behaviour of fibres, and inserted metabolic-
type genes can also partially function. These achievements provide support
for the opinion that rapid advances in the understanding of gene regulation
in follicle differentiation and further refinement of transgenesis techniques
will further enable the development of transgenic sheep with new and novel
products. To this end a study of the genes functioning in the sheep during
development and in adults producing wool is being conducted in Australia in
the Sheep Genomic Program (see 
http://www.sheepgenomics.com).
 These
studies should provide new clues to selection of the best genetics for wool
production and also some potential targets for genetic enhancement (GM),
possibly by transgenesis and likely to be focused on regulators that dictate
development of higher follicle densities, finer fibres and improved staple
strength. The adoption of any outcomes from such studies will probably
depend largely on the demands of the wool market and competition from
other fibres, especially the range of synthetic fibres that are fossil fuel-based.