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HEREDITAS(Beijing) ›› 2015, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (10): 1011-1020.doi: 10.16288/j.yczz.15-066

• Reviews • Previous Articles     Next Articles

CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technique and its application in site-directed genome modification of animals

Jinwei Zhou1, Qipin Xu1, Jing Yao2, Shumin Yu1, Suizhong Cao1   

  1. 1. College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China;
    2. State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
  • Received:2015-02-03 Online:2015-10-20 Published:2015-10-20

Abstract: CRISPR/Cas system, which uses CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) to guide Cas nuclease to silence invading nucleic acids, is self-defense system against exogenous virus or plasmid in bacteria and archaea. Through molecular modification, the typeⅡCRISPR/Cas system has become a highly efficient site-directed genome editing technique, which is simpler than zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) and transcription activator like effector nucleases (TALENs) and easier to be designed and applied. In this review, we summarize the evolutionary history of CRISPR/Cas9 system, the working principle and modification process of type Ⅱ CRISPR/Cas and its application in animal genome modification. We also analyze the existing problems and improvement program of the CRISPR/Cas9 system as well as its application prospect combined with successful cases, which may provide innovative perspectives on improving animal traits and establishing animal models of human diseases.

Key words: CRISPR/Cas9, genome editing technique, animal models of human disease, site-directed genome modification