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Ju WS, Kim S, Lee JY, Lee H, No J, Lee S, Oh K. Gene Editing for Enhanced Swine Production: Current Advances and Prospects. Animals (Basel) 2025; 15:422. [PMID: 39943192 PMCID: PMC11815767 DOI: 10.3390/ani15030422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2024] [Revised: 01/23/2025] [Accepted: 01/24/2025] [Indexed: 02/16/2025] Open
Abstract
Traditional pig breeding has improved production traits but faces limitations in genetic diversity, disease resistance, and environmental adaptation. Gene editing technologies, such as CRISPR/Cas9, base editing, and prime editing, enable precise genetic modifications, overcoming these limitations and expanding applications to biomedical research. Here, we reviewed the advancements in gene editing technologies in pigs and explored pathways toward optimized swine genetics for a resilient and adaptive livestock industry. This review synthesizes recent research on gene editing tools applied to pigs, focusing on CRISPR/Cas9 and its derivatives. It examines their impact on critical swine production traits and their role as human disease models. Significant advancements have been made in targeting genes for disease resistance, such as those conferring immunity to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome viruses. Additionally, gene-edited pigs are increasingly used as models for human diseases, demonstrating the technology's broader applications. However, challenges such as off-target effects, ethical concerns, and varying regulatory frameworks remain. Gene editing holds substantial potential for sustainable and productive livestock production by enhancing key traits and supporting biomedical applications. Addressing technical and ethical challenges through integrated approaches will be essential to realize its full potential, ensuring a resilient, ethical, and productive livestock sector for future generations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Seokho Kim
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +82-63-238-7271; Fax: +82-63-238-729
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Dekkers JCM. Opportunities to improve environmental sustainability of pork production through genetics. J Anim Sci 2025; 103:skaf042. [PMID: 40423546 PMCID: PMC12107699 DOI: 10.1093/jas/skaf042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/11/2025] [Indexed: 05/28/2025] Open
Abstract
Breeding programs in pigs primarily aim to reduce the cost of production but, because of the strong parallel effects of traits on the cost of production and environmental impacts, current breeding programs also substantially reduce the environmental impacts of pork production, although these reductions may be overestimated if the possible use of manure as a source of fertilizer is not accounted for. The purpose of this review is to summarize and explore opportunities that exist to further enhance these impacts by 1) changing the emphasis on traits in breeding programs, 2) including new traits, 3) integrating genetics and nutrition, and 4) transgenics and gene editing. Apart from accelerating rates of gain for productivity and efficiency at the commercial level, limited opportunities exist to further enhance reductions in environmental impacts by changing the emphasis on traits that are currently under selection, because of the high correlation between the impacts of these traits on cost of production and environmental impacts. However, opportunities exist to include traits related to resilience to disease and heat stress, methane emission (enteric and manure), and the efficient use of dietary nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and other ingredients, which all appear to have a genetic component. The limited research available to date suggests that genetic differences in efficiency and environmental impacts are smaller when pigs are fed diets that are tailored to their nutritional requirements, suggesting fewer genotype by diet interactions under such nutritional strategies. Selection for performance when fed diets that are tailored to meet the specific nutritional requirements of the line, or even the individual pig, can direct selection pressure to improvement of efficiency of the use of specific diet components. The effectiveness of this approach, however, depends on the accuracy of the nutritional models that are employed to determine nutrient requirements, as well as the accuracy with which these requirements can be characterized at the genetic level. Opportunities also exist to use transgenics or gene editing to provide solutions for anti-nutritional factors that many feedstuffs contain. Most emphasis on further reducing the environmental impact of pork production through genetics should focus on the grow-finish phase because it has the largest environmental impact and mitigation opportunities. Although this is expected to translate into additional reductions in environmental impacts of the reproduction phase, research into genetic selection or interventions that are specific to this phase is also needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack C M Dekkers
- Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-3150, USA
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Whitworth KM, Green JA, Redel BK, Geisert RD, Lee K, Telugu BP, Wells KD, Prather RS. Improvements in pig agriculture through gene editing. CABI AGRICULTURE AND BIOSCIENCE 2022; 3:41. [PMID: 35755158 PMCID: PMC9209828 DOI: 10.1186/s43170-022-00111-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2022] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Genetic modification of animals via selective breeding is the basis for modern agriculture. The current breeding paradigm however has limitations, chief among them is the requirement for the beneficial trait to exist within the population. Desirable alleles in geographically isolated breeds, or breeds selected for a different conformation and commercial application, and more importantly animals from different genera or species cannot be introgressed into the population via selective breeding. Additionally, linkage disequilibrium results in low heritability and necessitates breeding over successive generations to fix a beneficial trait within a population. Given the need to sustainably improve animal production to feed an anticipated 9 billion global population by 2030 against a backdrop of infectious diseases and a looming threat from climate change, there is a pressing need for responsive, precise, and agile breeding strategies. The availability of genome editing tools that allow for the introduction of precise genetic modification at a single nucleotide resolution, while also facilitating large transgene integration in the target population, offers a solution. Concordant with the developments in genomic sequencing approaches, progress among germline editing efforts is expected to reach feverish pace. The current manuscript reviews past and current developments in germline engineering in pigs, and the many advantages they confer for advancing animal agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin M. Whitworth
- Division of Animal Science, College of Agriculture Food and Natural Resources, University of Missouri, 920 East Campus Drive, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
| | - Jonathan A. Green
- Division of Animal Science, College of Agriculture Food and Natural Resources, University of Missouri, 920 East Campus Drive, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
| | - Bethany K. Redel
- United States Department of Agriculture – Agriculture Research Service, Plant Genetics Research Unit, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
| | - Rodney D. Geisert
- Division of Animal Science, College of Agriculture Food and Natural Resources, University of Missouri, 920 East Campus Drive, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
| | - Kiho Lee
- Division of Animal Science, College of Agriculture Food and Natural Resources, University of Missouri, 920 East Campus Drive, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
| | - Bhanu P. Telugu
- Division of Animal Science, College of Agriculture Food and Natural Resources, University of Missouri, 920 East Campus Drive, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
| | - Kevin D. Wells
- Division of Animal Science, College of Agriculture Food and Natural Resources, University of Missouri, 920 East Campus Drive, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
| | - Randall S. Prather
- Division of Animal Science, College of Agriculture Food and Natural Resources, University of Missouri, 920 East Campus Drive, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
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Directed mutation of β-glucanases from probiotics to enhance enzymatic activity, thermal and pH stability. Arch Microbiol 2020; 202:1749-1756. [DOI: 10.1007/s00203-020-01886-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2020] [Revised: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Yang Z, Yin J, Wang Y, Wang J, Xia B, Li T, Yang X, Hu S, Ji C, Guo S. The fucoidan A3 from the seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum enhances RCT-related genes expression in hyperlipidemic C57BL/6J mice. Int J Biol Macromol 2019; 134:759-769. [PMID: 31100394 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.05.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Revised: 05/03/2019] [Accepted: 05/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) has been demonstrated to reduce hyperlipidemia, and fucoidans are found to possess hypolipidemic effect. This study was designed to investigate the lipid-lowering effect of the fucoidan from the brown seaweed A. nodosum and whether it improves RCT-related genes expression in C57 BL/6J mice. Our results indicated that fucoidan A3 (100 mg/kg/day) intervention significantly reduced plasma total cholesterol (~23.2%), triglyceride (~48.7%) and fat pad index. This fucoidan significantly increased the mRNA expression of low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), scavenger receptor B type 1 (SR-B1), cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase A1 (CYP7A1), liver X receptor (LXR) β, ATP-binding cassette transporter (ABC) A1 and sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) 1c, and decreased the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ, however, it had no effect on the expression of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9, PPARα, LXRα, SREBP-2, ABCG1, ABCG8 and Niemann-Pick C1-like 1. These results demonstrated that this fucoidan improved lipid transfer from plasma to the liver by activating SR-B1 and LDLR, and up-regulated lipid metabolism by activating LXRβ, ABCA1 and CYP7A1. In conclusion, this fucoidan lowers lipid by enhancing RCT-related genes expression, and it can be explored as a potential candidate for prevention or treatment of lipid disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zixun Yang
- Institute of Lipid Metabolism and Atherosclerosis, Innovative Drug Research Centre, School of Pharmacy, Weifang Medical University, Weifang 261053, China; College of Pharmacy Engineering Research Center for Medicine, Harbin University of Commerce, Harbin 150076, China
| | - Jiayu Yin
- Institute of Lipid Metabolism and Atherosclerosis, Innovative Drug Research Centre, School of Pharmacy, Weifang Medical University, Weifang 261053, China; College of Pharmacy Engineering Research Center for Medicine, Harbin University of Commerce, Harbin 150076, China
| | - Yufeng Wang
- Nanjing Well Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Nanjing 210042, China
| | - Jin Wang
- Institute of Lipid Metabolism and Atherosclerosis, Innovative Drug Research Centre, School of Pharmacy, Weifang Medical University, Weifang 261053, China
| | - Bin Xia
- Institute of Lipid Metabolism and Atherosclerosis, Innovative Drug Research Centre, School of Pharmacy, Weifang Medical University, Weifang 261053, China; College of Pharmacy Engineering Research Center for Medicine, Harbin University of Commerce, Harbin 150076, China
| | - Ting Li
- Institute of Lipid Metabolism and Atherosclerosis, Innovative Drug Research Centre, School of Pharmacy, Weifang Medical University, Weifang 261053, China; College of Pharmacy Engineering Research Center for Medicine, Harbin University of Commerce, Harbin 150076, China
| | - Xiaoqian Yang
- Institute of Lipid Metabolism and Atherosclerosis, Innovative Drug Research Centre, School of Pharmacy, Weifang Medical University, Weifang 261053, China; College of Pharmacy Engineering Research Center for Medicine, Harbin University of Commerce, Harbin 150076, China
| | - Shumei Hu
- Institute of Lipid Metabolism and Atherosclerosis, Innovative Drug Research Centre, School of Pharmacy, Weifang Medical University, Weifang 261053, China
| | - Chenfeng Ji
- College of Pharmacy Engineering Research Center for Medicine, Harbin University of Commerce, Harbin 150076, China.
| | - Shoudong Guo
- Institute of Lipid Metabolism and Atherosclerosis, Innovative Drug Research Centre, School of Pharmacy, Weifang Medical University, Weifang 261053, China.
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Guan LZ, Zhao S, Shu G, Jiang QY, Cai GY, Wu ZF, Xi QY, Zhang YL. β-Glucanase specific expression in the intestine of transgenic pigs. Transgenic Res 2019; 28:237-246. [PMID: 30697646 DOI: 10.1007/s11248-019-00112-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Producing heterologous enzymes in the animal digestive tract to improve feed utilization rate is a new research strategy by transgenic technology. In this study, transgenic pigs specifically expressing β-glucanase gene in the intestine were successfully produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer technology in order to improve digestibility of dietary β-glucan and absorption of nutrients. The β-glucanase activity in the intestinal juice of 4 transgenic pigs was found to be 8.59 ± 2.49 U/mL. The feeding trial results showed that the crude protein digestion of 4 transgenic pigs was significantly increased compared with that of the non-transgenic pigs. In order to investigate the inheritance of the transgene, 7 G1 transgenic pigs were successfully obtained. The β-glucanase activity in the intestinal juice of 7 G1 transgenic pigs was found to be 2.35 ± 0.72 U/mL. The feeding trial results showed the crude protein digestion and crude fat digestion were significantly higher in 7 G1 transgenic pigs than in non-transgenic pigs. Taken together, our study demonstrated that the foreign β-glucanase expressing in the intestine of the transgenic pigs could reduce the anti-nutritional effect of β-glucans in feed. In addition, β-glucanase gene could be inherited to the offsprings and maintain its physiological function. It is a promising approach to improve feed utilization by producing transgenic animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Zeng Guan
- College of Agriculture and Forestry Science, Linyi University, Shuangling Road, Linyi City, China
| | - Shuai Zhao
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, SCAU-Alltech Research Joint Alliance, South China Agricultural University, 483 Wushan Road, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Gang Shu
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, SCAU-Alltech Research Joint Alliance, South China Agricultural University, 483 Wushan Road, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Qing-Yan Jiang
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, SCAU-Alltech Research Joint Alliance, South China Agricultural University, 483 Wushan Road, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Geng-Yuan Cai
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, SCAU-Alltech Research Joint Alliance, South China Agricultural University, 483 Wushan Road, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Zhen-Fang Wu
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, SCAU-Alltech Research Joint Alliance, South China Agricultural University, 483 Wushan Road, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Qian-Yun Xi
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, SCAU-Alltech Research Joint Alliance, South China Agricultural University, 483 Wushan Road, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
| | - Yong-Liang Zhang
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, SCAU-Alltech Research Joint Alliance, South China Agricultural University, 483 Wushan Road, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
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Transgenic pigs expressing β-xylanase in the parotid gland improve nutrient utilization. Transgenic Res 2019; 28:189-198. [PMID: 30637610 DOI: 10.1007/s11248-019-00110-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Xylan is one of the main anti-nutritional factors in pig's feed. Although supplementation of β-xylanase in diet can improve the utilization of nutrients in animals, it is limited by feed cost, manufacturing process and storage stability. To determine whether the expression of endogenous β-xylanase gene xynB in vivo can improve digestibility of dietary xylan and absorption of nutrients, we produced transgenic pigs which express the xynB from Aspergillus Niger CGMCC1067 in the parotid gland via nuclear transfer. In four live transgenic founders, β-xylanase activities in the saliva were 0.74, 0.59, 0.37 and 0.24 U/mL, respectively. Compared with non-transgenic pigs, the content of crude protein (CP) in feces reduced by 15.5% (P < 0.05). Furthermore, in 100 of the 271 F1 pigs the xynB gene was detectable. The digestibility of gross energy and CP in F1 transgenic pigs were increased by 5% and 22%, respectively, with the CP content in feces decreased by 6.4%. Taken together, our study showed that the transgenic pigs producing β-xylanase from parotid gland can reduce the anti-nutritional effect in animal diet and improve the utilization of nutrients.
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The features that distinguish lichenases from other polysaccharide-hydrolyzing enzymes and the relevance of lichenases for biotechnological applications. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 102:3951-3965. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-8904-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Revised: 02/23/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
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Lou AG, Cai JS, Zhang XM, Cui CD, Piao YS, Guan LZ. The aflatoxin-detoxifizyme specific expression in the parotid gland of transgenic pigs. Transgenic Res 2017; 26:677-687. [DOI: 10.1007/s11248-017-0036-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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