Hey guys, this is my first post here. I really have no genetics education aside from the classes I took in High School, and I am currently a senior undergrad in Mechanical Engineering. So this should tell you how much I really know about what I'm about to ask.

 

Anyway, here goes:

 

Let's say a grown person wants their eye color to be purple at the DNA level. This means they don't want to wear colored contacts; they actually want to change their DNA to produce a purple iris.

 

Would this be possible by infecting the person with a synthetic retrovirus (gene therapy)?

 

If so, would the virus be able to cross the Weismann Barrier and modify the person's reproductive cells, thereby causing the person's offspring to have purple eyes as well?

 

My friend and I were discussing this today and I was curious to hear what some more educated folks would have to say.

 

Please share all the information you guys know!

Gene therapy is still an immature technology today. But if it could be done, you will need a virus not to change the DNA of the cells which are currently contributing to the pigment color but the cell giving rise to those pigment-generating cell, in other words, probably you need a viral vector carrying the piece of DNA you desire to infect the multipotent stem cell giving rise to pigment-generating cells. Using a virus vector would have potential hazard like not attenuated enough or the process of DNA insertion might interfere with useful gene that potentially would cause some, if any, genetic disorders. To get a person with purple iris you need to infect his multipotent stem cell, then if you want his offsprings having the same traits you need another virus vector being able to cross the Weismann Barrier and infect germ-line cells. To prevent gross-infection which lowers the chance of sucessful infection and insertion of target cells and potential mutational hazards, it'd better to have a virus vector specific to that cell type.