Genome editing for disease resistance in pigs and chickens

作者：Chris Proudfoot, Simon Lillico, Christine Tait‐Burkard · 发表于：Animal Frontiers · 年份：2019 · DOI：10.1093/af/vfz013 · 被引用次数：53 · 研究领域：CRISPR and Genetic Engineering、Animal Genetics and Reproduction、Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology

• Genome editing technology enlarges the tool box of trait-selective breeding. • Methods for genome editing have developed over the past decades, making the technology more efficient and specific. • Technology to generate edited pigs and chickens is developing alongside genome editors to generate animals faster and more affordable. • For two major pig diseases, it has been shown that resistant animals can be generated that are refractory to infection. In chickens there are promising laboratory results but no genome-edited, resistant chickens yet. • Genome editing allows us to overcome bottlenecks in trait-selective breeding and allows the incorporation of genetic traits from other breeds, related species, or laboratory results. • Two major hurdles still to be faced prior to the implementation of this promising technology are consumer acceptance and the regulatory framework. For thousands of years, humans have used selective breeding to improve desirable traits in both livestock and companion animals. In livestock, targeted breeding has been common practice since the British Agricultural Revolution of the 18th century, with measurable production traits such as feed conversion in cattle or wool production in sheep actively selected for. In the late 20th century, genomic selection was added to the livestock breeding tool box; by reading specific locations in the genome and assigning them to measurable production traits, faster improvement in livestock production efficiency has b...