Refining genome editing in livestock

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This project aims to refine genetic engineering (GE) technology thus providing better tools for both the academic and commercial sectors working in the biosciences. GE livestock were first produced about 25 years ago. Since then improvements in the technology used have been developed. However, they remain inefficient and lack precision. The ideal technology for producing GE livestock would be one that enable the efficient a precise engineering of the zygote. Excitingly this is now emerging - we can now engineer the zygote with designer hybrid endonucleases that do not leave a 'transgenic' mark. In essence these enzymes function as molecular scissors cutting the genome precisely where you want it to be cut. This emerging technology is based on genome editors, examples of which include ZFN and TALEN. We have recently demonstrated that both TALEN and ZFN injected directly into pig zygotes can produce live genome edited pigs. We now aim to refine the method arguing that efficiency improvements are possible for GE technology in livestock, focussing on the following four objectives which build on our preliminary data: increase efficiency, reducing variability, broadening application through developing ability to change specific DNA sequences, and demonstrating the method in ruminants. This technology has the potential to be transformative in its impact if applied in the agricultural and biotechnology sectors.