Disruption of the myostatin gene in porcine primary fibroblasts and embryos using zinc-finger nucleases

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

  • Xian-Ju Huang
  • Hong-Xiao Zhang
  • Huili Wang
  • Kai Xiong
  • Ling Qin
  • Honglin Liu

Myostatin represses muscle growth by negatively regulating the number and size of muscle fibers. Myostatin lossof- function can result in the double-muscling phenotype and increased muscle mass. Thus, knockout of myostatin gene could improve the quality of meat from mammals. In the present study, zinc finger nucleases, a useful tool for generating gene knockout animals, were designed to target exon 1 of the myostatin gene. The designed ZFNs were introduced into porcine primary fibroblasts and early implantation embryos via electroporation and microinjection, respectively. Mutations around the ZFNs target site were detected in both primary fibroblasts and blastocysts. The proportion of mutant fibroblast cells and blastocyst was 4.81% and 5.31%, respectively. Thus, ZFNs can be used to knockout myostatin in porcine primary fibroblasts and early implantation embryos.

Original languageEnglish
JournalMolecules and Cells
Volume37
Issue number4
Pages (from-to)302-306
Number of pages5
ISSN1016-8478
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014
Externally publishedYes

ID: 135185608