Improving gene-editing protocols for application in swine production

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Genome editing, the technology to turn on/off/correct genes at an embryonic stage of development, is viewed**by front-runners such as Alphagene-Olymel as "the key to the future", in terms of accelerated genetic**improvement and increased production efficiency. In fact, recent development of genome editing technologies**based on the CRISPR-Cas9 system has allowed the introduction of target changes in animal's genome in a**highly specific and efficient manner. For example, high value traits that are encoded by a single gene can now**be manipulated very efficiently and in a way that the result will be identical to mutations that occur randomly**in nature. Therefore, genome editing is expected to revolutionize livestock production, through the ability to**conduct highly specific genome modifications with impact on disease resistance, product quality, growth**efficiency, food conversion, and reproductive efficiency. However, there are many steps that need to be fully**characterized and optimized prior to achieving readiness for commercial applications. The proposed research**project will allow initiating the process of improving swine-specific gene editing protocols and will serve as a**first interaction between the company and the university, that is expected to evolve into a CRD grant**application for a more ambitious research collaboration. Canada is ranked 5th among world pork exporters,**totaling 3 billion dollars in 2011. Genome editing is anticipated to become the most efficient method to achieve**highly specific genome modifications with impact on livestock production efficiencies, exponentially faster**than traditional selective breeding. In that context, engineered endonucleases (e.g. CRISPR-Cas9) allow for**efficient, site-specific genome modifications that are regulatory and consumer-friendly, by simply turning on or**off specific endogenous genes, as opposed to introducing foreign DNA.