Multiplex Gene Editing via CRISPR/Cas9 System in Sheep

Abstract

Sheep is a major large animal model for studying development and disease in biomedical research. We utilized CRISPR/Cas9 system successfully to modify multiple genes in sheep. Here we provide a detailed protocol for one-cell-stage embryo manipulation by co-injecting Cas9 mRNA and RNA guides targeting three genes (MSTN, ASIP, and BCO2) to create genetic-modified sheep. Procedure described sgRNA design, construction of gRNA-Cas9 plasmid, efficient detection in fibroblast, embryos and sheep, and some manipulative technologies. Our findings suggested that the CRISPR/Cas9 method can be exploited as a powerful tool for livestock improvement by targeting multiple genes that are in charge of economically significant traits simultaneously.