Frontiers in genome editing最新文献

{"title":"Highly efficient CRISPR editing enabled by magnetic nanoparticle delivery.","authors":"Inkyung Go, Seung Hwan Lee","doi":"10.3389/fgeed.2026.1865675","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgeed.2026.1865675","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Efficient delivery of CRISPR components remains a major determinant of genome editing outcomes. In this study, we compared conventional lipofection with magnetic nanoparticle-assisted gene delivery (magnetofection) for CRISPR-mediated genome editing efficiency using SpCas9 and AsCas12a systems. Based on the average values obtained from multiple independent targets, lipofection resulted in relatively low indel efficiencies, with mean values of average 8.1%-12.47%. In contrast, magnetofection markedly enhanced genome editing outcomes, yielding average indel efficiencies of average 42.29%-45.04%, representing a substantial increase (3.39- and 5.56-fold, respectively) compared with lipofection. This enhancement was consistently observed across both SpCas9-and AsCas12a-mediated editing, indicating that the improved efficiency conferred by magnetic nanoparticle delivery is independent of the nuclease platform. Furthermore, the increased performance of magnetofection was reproducible across multiple genomic loci and cell lines and was also effective under RNP-based delivery conditions, demonstrating its robustness and reliability. In addition to indel-based genome disruption, magnetofection also significantly improved prime editing efficiency (13.95% on average) compared to lipofection (3.81% on average). Overall, our results demonstrate that magnetic nanoparticle-mediated delivery enables highly efficient and reproducible CRISPR genome editing, substantially outperforming conventional lipofection for both indel formation and prime editing. Magnetofection therefore represents a powerful and broadly applicable delivery strategy for next-generation genome editing applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":73086,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in genome editing","volume":"8 ","pages":"1865675"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13454498/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148708615","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"CRISPR/Cas9-based gene-editing platform development by targeting genes encoding magnesium chelatase and phytoene desaturase in sugarbeet (<i>Beta vulgaris</i> L.).","authors":"Zainul A Khan, Tinley Hathaway, Chenggen Chu, Rajeev Gupta, Melvin Bolton, Vanitharani Ramachandran","doi":"10.3389/fgeed.2026.1875376","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgeed.2026.1875376","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sugarbeet (<i>Beta vulgaris</i> ssp. <i>vulgaris</i>, L.), is a vital temperate crop, supplying nearly 40% of the world's sugar. However, its high susceptibility to bacterial, fungal, and viral diseases creates an urgent need for improved, disease-resistant cultivars. The CRISPR/Cas9 system has rapidly advanced plant genetic engineering by enabling precise and targeted genome modifications. Our goal is to establish a gene-editing platform in sugarbeet to support future development of disease-resistant lines by targeting the candidate genes. In this study, we applied CRISPR/Cas9 to generate targeted mutations in two genes involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis and carotenoid-mediated leaf pigmentation: <i>magnesium chelatase</i> (Mg-chelatase) and <i>phytoene desaturase</i> (PDS). Two CRISPR/Cas9 constructs, each carrying an sgRNA targeting either Mg-chelatase or PDS, were developed and mobilized into <i>Agrobacterium tumefaciens</i>. A total of 233 and 200 hypocotyl explants were transformed with constructs targeting Mg-chelatase and PDS, resulting in regeneration efficiencies of 8% and 14% on kanamycin selection medium, respectively. Light green, yellow, variegated yellow-green, and albino phenotypes were observed among the putative transformants, whereas non-edited transformed lines resembled untransformed control plants. Targeted mutations, including insertions, deletions, and substitutions of nucleotides, were identified at both genomic loci, with editing efficiencies of 60.0% for Mg-chelatase and 68.75% for PDS underscoring the effectiveness of this approach in sugarbeet, a recalcitrant crop. Deletions ranged from 5 to 28 bp in Mg-chelatase and 2 to 21 bp in PDS, while insertion events consisted of single-base additions in Mg-chelatase edited lines and larger insertions of 7-16 bp in PDS mutants. The results demonstrate the successful deployment of CRISPR/Cas9 for targeted genome engineering in sugarbeet and establish a reliable platform for future gene-editing efforts aimed at enhancing resistance to a wide range of pathogens and diseases affecting the crop.</p>","PeriodicalId":73086,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in genome editing","volume":"8 ","pages":"1875376"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13433599/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148674816","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"CRISPR-SWITCH (silent mutations with intention to create heterozygotes): a strategy for monoallelic genome editing and generation of a <i>Syt1</i>-D365E mouse model of Baker-Gordon syndrome.","authors":"Samantha Norris, Sai Goutham Reddy Yeddula, Elaine Su, Klancey Vandeloecht, Sandy Saunders, Yoko Wang, Carie Boychuk, W David Arnold, Christian Lorson, Daniel J Davis","doi":"10.3389/fgeed.2026.1833024","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgeed.2026.1833024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Precise control of allelic outcomes remains a major limitation of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, particularly for genes in which biallelic modification is lethal or confounds disease modeling. Here, we present CRISPR-SWITCH (Silent mutations With Intention To Create Heterozygotes), a genome engineering strategy that enables deliberate monoallelic editing by exploiting allele-specific CRISPR targeting. CRISPR-SWITCH operates through the initial introduction of a synonymous nucleotide substitution that creates a unique guide RNA recognition site, allowing subsequent selective editing of the engineered allele while preserving the wildtype copy. We applied CRISPR-SWITCH to generate a mouse model of Baker-Gordon syndrome, a dominant-negative neurodevelopmental disorder caused by pathogenic variants in synaptotagmin-1 (<i>SYT1</i>). Conventional CRISPR-Cas9 editing of the <i>Syt1</i> locus produced complex allelic outcomes characterized by biallelic editing and mosaicism, preventing reliable generation of the defined heterozygous genotype required for disease modeling. In contrast, CRISPR-SWITCH enforced heterozygosity by first introducing a synonymous Y364Y mutation and then selectively targeting this allele to install the pathogenic D365E variant. This approach produced viable <i>Syt1</i>-D365E mice with exclusive monoallelic genome editing, predictable preservation of a wildtype allele, and balanced (1:1) expression of mutant and wildtype transcripts. Together, these results demonstrate proof-of-principle that CRISPR-SWITCH can enforce heterozygosity at endogenous loci and enable the generation of viable mammalian models for dominant-negative and dosage-sensitive genetic disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":73086,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in genome editing","volume":"8 ","pages":"1833024"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13397936/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148586246","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Production of gene-edited cloned cattle embryos using the CRISPR/EOCas12i system.","authors":"Furui Wang, Lei Chen, Yuting Ning, Jiale He, Yinjuan Wang, Lei An, Jianhui Tian, Guangyin Xi","doi":"10.3389/fgeed.2026.1891100","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgeed.2026.1891100","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The rapid development of genome editing technologies has enabled precise manipulation of livestock genomes for the improvement of production traits such as meat yield and milk quality. Myostatin (<i>MSTN</i>) and β-lactoglobulin (<i>BLG</i>) are key gene targets for enhancing muscle growth and reducing lactose intolerance, respectively.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this study, we employed an optimized CRISPR/EOCas12i system to simultaneously target <i>MSTN</i> and <i>BLG</i> in bovine fetal fibroblasts (BFFs) using a single plasmid.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>T7E1 and Sanger sequencing confirmed efficient editing at multiple target sites, with EOCas12i producing deletions ranging from tens to over 100 bp. Furthermore, no off-target (OT) effects were detected at predicted loci, supporting the high specificity of this system in large animals. Gene-edited single-cell clones (SCCs) were expanded in conditioned medium, and selected double-knockout (DKO) clones served as nuclear donors for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) to produce <i>MSTN</i>/<i>BLG</i> double gene-edited cattle embryos.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Collectively, this study demonstrates the feasibility of generating <i>MSTN</i>/<i>BLG</i> double gene-edited cattle embryos using a single CRISPR/EOCas12i plasmid and SCNT, providing a robust platform for multiplex genome editing aimed at improving meat production and milk traits, with potential applications in both agricultural and biomedical research.</p>","PeriodicalId":73086,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in genome editing","volume":"8 ","pages":"1891100"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13381622/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148610796","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ferrets and genetically modified ferrets as model organisms in biomedical research: a review.","authors":"Hongshu Sui, Yiyang Li, Yan Yang, Liangyu Jiang, Yaxin Jiao, Dongwei Liu, Haoyu Liu, Zekai Yang, Haorui Chen, Dongyu Zhang, Ruihan Ma, Yuxin Jiang, Mingjiu Luo","doi":"10.3389/fgeed.2026.1777289","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgeed.2026.1777289","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Domestic ferrets have served as experimental animals for over a century, offering a balance between practicality and biological relevance while bridging the gap between rodent and non-human primate models. Their anatomical and physiological similarities to humans, particularly in the respiratory and nervous systems, make ferrets an invaluable model for biomedical research across various disciplines. Recent advances in genome-editing technologies have enabled the efficient creation of genetically modified (GM) ferrets, significantly expanding their applications in basic and translational research. This review describes the unique biological characteristics of ferrets and their current applications in modeling human pathogenic infections, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and neurological disorders, as well as other complex diseases that rodent models fail to effectively recapitulate. We also discuss the challenges associated with ferret models and outline the future directions to enhance their utility, with the goal of advancing our understanding of human diseases and supporting the development of novel therapeutics.</p>","PeriodicalId":73086,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in genome editing","volume":"8 ","pages":"1777289"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13368801/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148457891","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Production of virus-like particles with AsCas12a nuclease and CMV-driven crRNA for mammalian genome editing.","authors":"Natalia A Kruglova, Sofiia E Borovikova, Mikhail V Shepelev","doi":"10.3389/fgeed.2026.1735339","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgeed.2026.1735339","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>CRISPR/Cas genome editing tools represent a promising technology for biomedicine with significant therapeutic potential for numerous human diseases. However, efficient delivery of these tools into primary cells, particularly in the form of ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes, remains a critical bottleneck that limits clinical translation. Virus-like particles (VLPs) derived from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) or murine leukemia virus (MLV) have emerged as promising delivery vehicles for RNP complexes, yet their activity is limited by suboptimal nuclease and guide RNA packaging. Previously, we generated NanoMEDIC VLPs incorporating the AsCas12a nuclease with CMV-driven crRNA, which demonstrated substantially enhanced editing efficiency over SpCas9-VLPs with U6-driven gRNA. Here, we describe a detailed protocol for a small-scale production of AsCas12a-VLPs using three distinct transfection methods [cationic lipids, polyethyleneimine (PEI), and calcium-phosphate] and a large-scale production of VLPs using calcium-phosphate transfection. We show that both production scales yield comparable nuclease loading into VLPs and similar editing efficiencies, reaching up to 60% of <i>CXCR4</i> knockout in Jurkat T cells.</p>","PeriodicalId":73086,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in genome editing","volume":"8 ","pages":"1735339"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13358222/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148439043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The application of CRISPR gene-editing technology in influenza prevention and control.","authors":"Xinyi Zhang, Hangyi Shi, Jianlan Yang, Lailing Du, Xinling Zhang, Xiaoping Li","doi":"10.3389/fgeed.2026.1844919","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgeed.2026.1844919","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Influenza A virus (IAV) and influenza B virus (IBV) remain major global public health threats because of their rapid antigenic evolution and efficient human-to-human transmission. In contrast, influenza C virus (ICV) and influenza D virus (IDV) generally exhibit narrower host ranges and milder pathogenicity, yet their potential for interspecies transmission and zoonotic spillover still warrants attention. Conventional prevention strategies, such as inactivated and live-attenuated vaccines, suffer from prolonged development timelines and diminished efficacy against rapidly evolving viral strains. However, antiviral drugs are increasingly limited by the rapid emergence of drug-resistant variants. The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated (Cas) gene-editing technology has emerged as a promising platform for influenza prevention and control owing to its programmability and precise targeting capability. In this paper, we summarize recent advances in CRISPR-based strategies for influenza prevention and control. The RNA-targeting CRISPR-associated protein 13 (Cas13) system can recognize conserved viral RNA sequences and suppress replication across influenza subtypes, whereas the DNA-targeting CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) system can edit host susceptibility genes and thereby reduce cellular permissiveness to infection. In addition, lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-based delivery systems have become important tools for improving the <i>in vivo</i> delivery and expression of CRISPR components by enhancing targeting efficiency and reducing immunogenicity. CRISPR-based diagnostics, such as Specific High-sensitivity Enzymatic Reporter unLOCKing (SHERLOCK), further expand the clinical utility of this technology by enabling rapid and sensitive detection of influenza viruses. Despite these advances, substantial challenges remain, including delivery inefficiency, off-target activity, long-term safety concerns, and the risk of viral escape. With continued technological refinement and careful translational development, CRISPR may become a versatile tool for influenza prevention, diagnosis, and therapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":73086,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in genome editing","volume":"8 ","pages":"1844919"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13346171/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148426984","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An evolutionary genomic perspective on preterm birth, genome editing, and pregnancy in the human species.","authors":"Akua A Obeng, Monica Uddin, Chengqi Wang, Derek E Wildman","doi":"10.3389/fgeed.2026.1805932","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgeed.2026.1805932","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The processes of labor and birth have a complex evolutionary history, with substantial variation among species showing differences in gestational length, offspring number, anatomy, and rates of fetal development. Understanding the genomic basis of pregnancy is therefore a focus of evolutionary research, given the importance of reproductive success in processes such as natural selection, mutation, genetic drift, and migration. Disruptions to normal pregnancy processes include preterm birth, which can arise from multiple factors, including infection, anatomical variation, injury, age, parity, and multiple gestation and other obstetrical syndromes as well (e.g., preeclampsia, and stillbirth). These factors each influence unique and overlapping networks of candidate genes and biological pathways. Here we synthesize evidence from comparative genomics, population genetics, and vertebrate reproductive biology to show that many PTB-relevant genes, including those involved in progesterone signaling, innate immunity, placental regulation, and chromosome 19 gene clusters, have undergone lineage- or population-specific evolutionary change. Integrating evolutionary insights with functional genomics, machine learning, and modern genome-editing technologies, we provide a principled framework to distinguish conserved, high-risk targets from evolutionarily flexible loci, guiding safer mechanistic studies and future interventions to reduce PTB risk. From an initial list of approximately 1,500 genes involved in pregnancy, we identified those that show evidence of recent evolutionary change for which functional inference is possible. We review some specific nucleotide sites that, when disrupted via CRISPR gene editing, are likely to impact the processes of labor and birth. These loci fall within protein coding genes, transposable elements, transcription factor binding sites, and non-coding RNAs. They are found in nuclear hormone receptors (e.g., <i>PGR</i>), genes with placenta- and uterine-specific expression patterns (e.g., <i>LGALS13</i>), as well as signaling molecules and immunological loci. Finally, we provide evidence that gene activity and sequence variation differ across species and provide examples of pathway differences between chimpanzees (nociception) and humans (inflammation).</p>","PeriodicalId":73086,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in genome editing","volume":"8 ","pages":"1805932"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13318963/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148371088","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spalt-like transcription factor-2 (SALL2) suppresses breast carcinogenesis by inducing apoptosis and inhibiting cell migration and invasion.","authors":"Sandeep Sisodiya, Payal Singh, Suryanshi Gupta, Manvi Naugain, Jyoti Rani, Asiya Khan, Sandeep Kumar, Neetu Mishra, Pranay Tanwar, Showket Hussain","doi":"10.3389/fgeed.2026.1788913","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgeed.2026.1788913","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Spalt-like transcription factor 2 (SALL2) has emerged as a potential tumor suppressor in various malignancies; however, its role in breast cancer remains underexplored. This study examines the effect of SALL2 overexpression on breast carcinogenesis, with a particular focus on the induction of apoptosis and inhibition of cell migration and invasion, using breast cancer receptor-positive and receptor-negative cell lines.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) were transiently transfected with a <i>SALL2</i> expression vector, and successful transfection was confirmed by real-time PCR and Western blot analysis. Functional assays performed included proliferation (MTT assay), wound healing, invasion (transwell Matrigel assay), apoptosis (flow cytometry), and assessment of mRNA expression levels of <i>CDKN1A</i> (p21), <i>p16</i>, <i>PMAIP1</i> (NOXA), <i>BAX</i>, and <i>MMP9</i> using quantitative real-time PCR.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We demonstrated that the transient upregulation of <i>SALL2</i> expression markedly inhibited cell migration and invasion, processes central to tumor metastasis. This effect was accompanied by a reduction in <i>MMP9</i>, a key enzyme associated with extracellular matrix degradation and metastatic potential. Furthermore, upregulated <i>SALL2</i> expression significantly promoted apoptosis, as evidenced by the upregulation of pro-apoptotic genes including <i>PMAIP1</i> (NOXA), <i>BAX</i>, <i>CDKN1A</i> (p21), and <i>p16</i>. These changes suggest that SALL2 not only impedes metastatic capacity but also enhances apoptotic signaling pathways in breast cancer cells. Importantly, the tumor-suppressive nature of SALL2 was consistent in both types of breast cancer cell lines, underscoring its broad therapeutic relevance across different breast cancer subtypes.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our findings indicate that <i>SALL2</i> expression inhibits cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while inducing apoptosis in breast cancer. These findings suggest that <i>SALL2</i> may be a critical regulator of breast carcinogenesis and a potential target for therapeutics controlling tumor progression, invasion, and metastasis.</p>","PeriodicalId":73086,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in genome editing","volume":"8 ","pages":"1788913"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13303838/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148347557","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Clinical outcome of an SCNT-derived <i>MSTN</i> knockout buffalo: a case study.","authors":"Priyanka Singh, Kartikey Patel, Gaurav Tripathi, Shavi Verma, Kusum Kashyap, Ranjeet Verma, Babu Lal Jangir, Manoj Kumar Singh, Naresh L Selokar","doi":"10.3389/fgeed.2026.1822169","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fgeed.2026.1822169","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Myostatin (<i>MSTN</i>) gene knockout has attracted considerable interest for enhancing meat production in livestock species due to its well-established role as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth. In this study, we report the clinical outcome of a bi-allelic <i>MSTN</i> knockout buffalo produced via somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) that failed to survive beyond 100 days of age. The <i>MSTN</i> knockout calf exhibited a double-muscling phenotype, which was validated by changes in mRNA expression of transcripts associated with increased muscle mass and reduced subcutaneous fat. In addition, the calf had a telomere length similar to that of age-matched calves produced through artificial insemination. However, serum biochemistry analysis revealed decreased levels of globulin, GGTP, ALP, and bilirubin, alongside increased concentrations of AST, urea, blood urea nitrogen, uric acid, phosphorus, and potassium. Cytokine profiling (including IFN-γ, IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17α, IL-36Rα, TNF-α, MIP-1α, MIP-1β, MCP-1, IP-10, and VEGF-α) demonstrated dysregulation of several inflammatory and chemotactic mediators. This case report highlights potential health and welfare challenges associated with producing <i>MSTN</i> knockout buffalo through cloning-based approaches.</p>","PeriodicalId":73086,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in genome editing","volume":"8 ","pages":"1822169"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13287090/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148320939","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}