Efficiency of genetic modification in gene-knockout sperm-derived zygotes followed by electroporation of guide RNA targeting the same gene

Abstract

Genetic mosaicism is considered one of the main limitations of the electroporation method used to transfer CRISPR-Cas9/guide RNA (gRNA) into porcine zygotes. We hypothesized that fertilization of oocytes with sperm from gene-deficient boars, in combination with electroporation (EP) to target the same region of the gene in subsequent zygotes, would increase the gene modification efficiency. As myostatin (MSTN) and α1,3-galactosyltransferase (GGTA1) have beneficial effects on agricultural production and xenotransplantation, respectively, we used these two genes to test our hypothesis. Spermatozoa from gene-knockout boars were used for oocyte fertilization in combination with EP to transfer gRNAs targeting the same gene region to zygotes. No significant differences in the rates of cleavage and blastocyst formation as well as in the mutation rates of blastocysts were observed between the wild-type and gene-deficient spermatozoa groups, irrespective of the targeted gene. In conclusion, the combination of fertilization with gene-deficient spermatozoa and gene editing of the same targeted gene region using EP had no beneficial effects on embryo genetic modification, indicating that EP alone is a sufficient tool for genome modification.