Genome Editing of Rat.

Area of Science:

• Genetics and Genomics
• Animal Models
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Genome editing technologies have revolutionized the creation of genetically modified animal models.
• Traditional methods for generating engineered rat strains faced challenges with technical difficulty and low efficiency.
• Zinc finger nuclease (ZFN), transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN), and CRISPR-Cas9 are key genome editing tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the latest protocols for producing genome-edited rats.
• To highlight advancements in efficiency and simplicity for creating knockout and knock-in rat strains.
• To introduce the technique for animal knockout system by electroporation (TAKE) as a novel method.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing genome editing nucleases: ZFN, TALEN, and CRISPR-Cas9.
• Employing microinjection techniques for genetic material delivery.
• Implementing the technique for animal knockout system by electroporation (TAKE) for enhanced efficiency.

Main Results:

• Successful generation of knockout and knock-in rat strains using established and novel genome editing methods.
• Demonstration of increased production efficiency compared to older techniques.
• Validation of the technique for animal knockout system by electroporation (TAKE) as a viable alternative.

Conclusions:

• Genome editing technologies have significantly advanced the production of genetically engineered rat models.
• The development of methods like TAKE has overcome previous limitations in efficiency and technical difficulty.
• These protocols provide researchers with powerful tools for creating specific rat strains for various research applications.