Gene-edited CRISPy Critters for alcohol research.

Area of Science:

• Genetics and Genomics
• Neuroscience
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Genetically engineered animals are crucial for understanding alcohol action and alcohol-use disorder (AUD).
• Traditional methods for creating gene-targeted animals were costly, time-consuming, and technically challenging.
• Recent advancements in genome editing have drastically improved the efficiency and accessibility of producing these models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the impact of novel genome editing technologies, specifically CRISPR/Cas, on the creation of genetically engineered animal models for alcohol research.
• To emphasize the advantages of the CRISPR/Cas system over previous gene-editing tools.
• To discuss the potential of these advanced animal models to accelerate discoveries in alcohol-use disorder.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated nuclease (Cas) system for precise genome editing.
• Employing guide RNA to direct the Cas enzyme to specific genomic locations for targeted modifications.
• Developing techniques for rapid gene knockout, knockin, and insertion of reporter or recombinase genes in animal embryos.

Main Results:

• The CRISPR/Cas system allows for cheap, rapid, and easy reprogramming to target virtually any gene of interest.
• Gene editing can now be performed directly in early embryos of various animal species relevant to alcohol research.
• The production of genetically engineered animals, termed "CRISPy Critters," is occurring at an unprecedented pace.

Conclusions:

• The CRISPR/Cas system has revolutionized the generation of genetically engineered animal models, removing production bottlenecks.
• CRISPy animal studies are emerging and are poised to significantly advance our understanding of alcohol-use disorder.
• These advanced models will facilitate breakthroughs in identifying mechanisms underlying alcohol's effects and AUD.