Animal Molecular Breeding, 2024, Vol.14, No.6, 345-353 http://animalscipublisher.com/index.php/amb 345 Review Article Open Access A Review of Gene Editing Technologies in Poultry Breeding: Focus on CRISPR/Cas9 Yanlin Wang, Qiqi Zhou, Jia Chen Tropical Animal Resources Research Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Sanya, 572000, Hainan, China Corresponding author: jia.chen@hitar.org Animal Molecular Breeding, 2024, Vol.14, No.6 doi: 10.5376/amb.2024.14.0036 Received: 03 Nov., 2024 Accepted: 05 Dec., 2024 Published: 16 Dec., 2024 Copyright © 2024 Wang et al., This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Wang Y.L., Zhou Q.Q., and Chen J., 2024, A review of gene editing technologies in poultry breeding: focus on CRISPR/Cas9, Animal Molecular Breeding, 14(6): 345-353 (doi: 10.5376/amb.2024.14.0036) Abstract This study reviews various gene editing techniques, including CRISPR/Cas9, TALENs, and ZFNs, and emphasizes their advantages over traditional breeding. It analyzes CRISPR/Cas9 in detail, explores the use of gene editing to improve the growth, meat quality, disease resistance, and reproductive traits of poultry, reviews the ethical considerations, regulatory challenges, and safety assessments of gene edited poultry, and provides practical insights into the potential and limitations of using CRISPR/Cas9 to enhance disease resistance. Finally, it discusses future innovations in gene editing tools, integration of multi omics methods, and industry application prospects. This study aims to emphasize the transformative potential of gene editing in poultry breeding and call for ongoing research to optimize the technology and address regulatory and ethical challenges. Keywords Poultry breeding; Gene editing; CRISPR/Cas9; TALEN; ZFN 1 Introduction Poultry breeding has long been a cornerstone of agricultural practices, aimed at enhancing desirable traits such as growth rate, feed efficiency, disease resistance, and meat quality. Traditional breeding methods have relied on selective breeding and crossbreeding to achieve genetic improvements. However, these methods are often time-consuming and limited by the genetic variability present within the breeding population. The advent of molecular genetics and biotechnology has introduced new avenues for accelerating genetic gains in poultry, offering more precise and efficient tools for genetic improvement (Khwatenge and Nahashon, 2021). The emergence of gene editing technologies, particularly the CRISPR/Cas9 system, has revolutionized the field of genetic engineering in poultry. CRISPR/Cas9 allows for precise, cost-effective, and user-friendly genome editing, enabling researchers to modify gene functions, target specific genetic loci, and introduce or regulate genetic information in poultry genomes (Vilela et al., 2020). This technology has been successfully applied to enhance disease resistance, such as rendering chickens resistant to avian leukosis virus subgroup J through targeted gene deletions (Koslová et al., 2020). Additionally, CRISPR/Cas9 has been utilized to develop recombinant vaccines and improve host-virus interactions, showcasing its potential in advancing poultry health and productivity. This study explores the progress of applying CRISPR/Cas9 to poultry species, evaluates its potential benefits and limitations, discusses its impact on the poultry industry, and analyzes the current status and future prospects of gene editing technology in poultry breeding. This study aims to emphasize the transformative impact of CRISPR/Cas9 on poultry farming and its role in addressing industry challenges. 2 Gene Editing Technologies in Poultry Breeding 2.1 Overview of gene editing tools (CRISPR/Cas9, TALEN, ZFN) Gene editing technologies have revolutionized the field of poultry breeding, offering precise and efficient methods to modify the avian genome. The most prominent tools include CRISPR/Cas9, TALEN (Transcription Activator-Like Effector Nucleases), and ZFN (Zinc Finger Nucleases) (Gupta et al., 2019). Among these, CRISPR/Cas9 stands out due to its simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and versatility. CRISPR/Cas9 allows for targeted gene modifications by utilizing a guide RNA to direct the Cas9 nuclease to specific DNA sequences, enabling
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