Taiwan Lab Creates Fluorescent Angelfish

Glowing examples of innovative biotechnology.

Fluorescent angelfish in a Taiwan laboratory.

The Jy Lin Company, Taiwan's largest exporter of ornamental fish, has for the first time, successfully inserted a fluorescent protein gene into the reproductive organs of medium-sized fish, allowing them to produce radiant offspring.

Company spokesman Lin Yu-Ho, explains how the process works for this particular fish family.

[Lin Yu-Ho, Jy Lin Company]:
"With the medium-sized cichlid fish, its biological cycle cannot be controlled by artificial lighting, plus the low number of fertilized eggs makes collection a challenge. It will take a very long time with the micro-injection method. For species like these, we deployed the method of reproductive organ electroporation. We inject fluorescent genes into the reproductive organs and leave the male and female fish to reproduce on their own, and then they can give birth to fluorescent babies."

Electroporation is a process whereby an electrical pulse creates passages through cell walls for the transplantation of foreign molecules, in this case the fluorescent protein gene.

The shining new breed of fish took over three years and almost 320,000 US dollars to develop.

And it will take some time and safety tests before discerning aquarium-fish lovers can dive in and buy their very own glow-in-the-dark angelfish.