Post-genomic era in agriculture and veterinary science: successful and proposed application of genetic targeting technologies

Abstract

Gene editing tools have become an indispensable part of research into the fundamental aspects of cell biology. With a vast body of literature having been generated based on next generation sequencing technologies, keeping track of this ever-growing body of information remains challenging. This necessitates the translation of genomic data into tangible applications. In order to address this objective, the generated Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) data forms the basis for targeted genome editing strategies, employing known enzymes of various cellular machinery, in generating organisms with specifically selected phenotypes. This review focuses primarily on CRISPR/Cas9 technology in the context of its advantages over Zinc finger proteins (ZNF) and Transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALEN) and meganucleases mutagenesis strategies, for use in agricultural and veterinary applications. This review will describe the application of CRISPR/Cas9 in creating modified organisms with custom-made properties, without the undesired non-targeted effects associated with virus vector vaccines and bioactive molecules produced in bacterial systems. Examples of the successful and unsuccessful applications of this technology to plants, animals and microorganisms are provided, as well as an in-depth look into possible future trends and applications in vaccine development, disease resistance and enhanced phenotypic traits will be discussed.

Keep Fingers on the CpG Islands

“…The complete sequencing of the human genome, including the heterochromatic regions and all centromeric satellite array repeats [ 1 ], has greatly accelerated the pace of locus-specific targeted engineering for epigenomic modifications. Three primary methods for epigenetic editing have emerged, enabling targeted alterations in gene expression: C2H2 zinc finger (ZF) proteins [ 2 ], transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) [ 3 ], and enzymatic deactivated CRISPR-associated dCas9 protein [ 4 ] (reviewed in [ 5 , 6 , 7 ] and references therein). These methods have potentially profound therapeutic benefits [ 8 ] but are not without their challenges, most notably off-target activities.…”

CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Knockout of the HuR Gene in U251 Cell Inhibits Japanese Encephalitis Virus Replication

“…CRISPR/Cas9 has rapidly become the leading genome editing technology due to its precision, efficiency, and versatility. In agricultural and veterinary sciences, CRISPR-Cas9 is now widely used in applications like producing healthy animals with economically favorable traits through CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, modifying viral genomes with CRISPR-Cas9, developing viral vector vaccines enabled by CRISPR/Cas9, and utilizing CRISPR/Cas9 systems to study virus–host cell interactions [ 17 ].…”