One-step generation of knockout pigs by zygote injection of CRISPR/Cas system OPEN

摘要

The pig is an important livestock for food supply and an ideal model for various human diseases. Efficient and precise genetic engineering in pigs holds great promise in agriculture and biomedicine1. Using currently available approach, generating specific gene modifications in pigs requires two steps. First, site-specific nucleases such as zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) are used to generate targeted mutations in pig somatic cells. Then the engineered somatic nucleus is used to generate cloned animals using somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) technology2,3. The complex design and generation of ZFNs and TALENs, as well as the technical challenges of SCNT, greatly limit the application of this method.