Genome editing mediated by primordial germ cell in chicken

Abstract

Rapid development of genome editing technology has facilitated the studies on exploring specific gene functions and establishment of model animals. In livestock, the technology has contributed to create high value in industry fields, e.g., enhancing productivity or acquiring the resistance against disease. Meanwhile, genome editing in avian species has been emphasized because of their applicable possibilities in terms of highly productive chickens, disease-controlled avian lines, and development of novel biological models. Induction of exogenous gene using virus system or transposition in chicken primordial germ cells (PGCs) has been widely used for producing transgenic chicken, and recently developed programmable genome editing (PGE) technologies such as tale transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN) and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated (Cas9) are expected to maximize the applicable potentials of avian species. In this regard, this chapter will cover the methods for producing genome-edited chicken by piggyBac transposition and gene targeting technology, TALEN, and CRISPR/Cas9.