[Application of CRISPR/Cas9 mediated genome editing in farm animals]

CRISPR (Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)/Cas (CRISPR associated proteins) is an acquired immune system found in bacteria and archaea that fight against invasion of viruses or plasmids. CRISPR/Cas systems are currently classified into three main types: I, II and III, of which type II has relatively simple components. The CRISPR/Cas9 technology modified from type II CRISPR/Cas system has been developed as an efficient genome editing tool. Since the initial application of the CRISPR/Cas9 technology in mammals in 2013, the reports of this system for genomic editing has skyrocketed. Farm animals are not only economically important animals, but also ideal animal models for human diseases and biomedical studies. In this review, we summarize the applications of CRISPR/Cas9 in farm animals, briefly describe the off-target effects and the main solutions, and finally highlight the future perspectives of this technology.