Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Gene-edited pigs are protected from PRRSv

 2015 Dec 7. doi: 10.1038/nbt.3434. [Epub ahead of print]

Gene-edited pigs are protected from porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus.

Author information

  • 1Division of Animal Science, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
  • 2Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA.
  • 3Genus plc, DeForest, Wisconsin, USA.
PMID:
 
26641533
 
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Since this paper was a short communication, there was no abstract. Here are my comments about it:
A recent study conducted by Missouri/Kansas/Genus PIC reported genes associated with resistance to PRRSv infection. Three piglets born from a sow and a boar lacking CD 163 (PRRSv receptor in macrophages) gene appeared to be resistant to infection with the PRRSv isolate NVSL 97-7895 (known to be infectious and virulent). Positive control pigs (pigs with "regular" CD 163 genes) did seroconvert, developed viremia, PRRSv clinical signs and had lungs PRRSv-positive on IHC test. "Resistant" pigs remained PRRSv negative (serology, PCRs, clinical signs and lung IHC) 35 days after experimental inoculation (nasal and intramuscular routes).
It is yet to be determined how feasible and consistent it would be to produce entire litters with the right combination of genes (to confer PRRSv resistance). Further studies also need to clarify the “cost” of this “mutation” on feed efficiency/productivity/immune response to other pathogens, so on… Moreover, it is also not known if those pigs would be resistant to other PRRSv strains. Anyways, this is an exciting news and provides great step towards the "fight" against PRRSv.

Keywords: PRRSv resistance, gene editing, CRISPR, CRISPR-Cas9, pigs, swine.

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