Cas9-expressing chickens and pigs as resources for genome editing in livestock.

Genetically modified animals continue to provide important insights into the molecular basis of health and disease. Research has focused mostly on genetically modified mice, although other species like pigs resemble the human physiology more closely. In addition, cross-species comparisons with phylogenetically distant species such as chickens provide powerful insights into fundamental biological and biomedical processes. One of the most versatile genetic methods applicable across species is CRISPR-Cas9. Here, we report the generation of transgenic chickens and pigs that constitutively express Cas9 in all organs. These animals are healthy and fertile. Functionality of Cas9 was confirmed in both species for a number of different target genes, for a variety of cell types and in vivo by targeted gene disruption in lymphocytes and the developing brain, and by precise excision of a 12.7-kb DNA fragment in the heart. The Cas9 transgenic animals will provide a powerful resource for in vivo genome editing for both agricultural and translational biomedical research, and will facilitate reverse genetics as well as cross-species comparisons.

Cytokine-inducible promoters to drive dynamic transgene expression: The "Smart Graft" strategy.

BACKGROUND: Ubiquitous expression of T-cell regulatory transgenes such as the cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA4) or the high-affinity variant LEA29Y improves xeno graft survival. Such donor pigs are however immunocompromised and susceptible to infection. Continous high expression of CTLA4 or LEA29Y in the graft could also compromise the health status of recipients. The novel "Smart Graft" strategy is likely to avoid these problems by controlling the expression of T-cell regulatory transgenes as and when required. METHODS: Candidate promoters inducible by inflammatory cytokines were identified by in silico screening for potential NF-κB binding sites. Basal promoter levels and responsiveness to TNFα and IL1ß were quantified by expression of secreted embryonic alkaline phosphatase in cultured cells. Promoters were modified to increase responsiveness by removing regulatory elements or adding SP-1 or NF-κB binding sites and again tested in vitro. The most promising promoters were then assessed in vivo. Porcine cells expressing inducible Renilla luciferase constructs were transplanted into immunodeficient NOD-Scid-IL2 receptor gammanull (NSG) mice. Following engraftment, the recipient's immune system was reconstituted by splenocyte transfer raising an immune response to the porcine xenograft. The resulting induction of promoter activity was detected by in vivo bioimaging. RESULTS: Three human (hTNFAIP1, hVCAM1 and hCCL2), and one porcine promoter (pA20) were chosen for in vitro tests. In all experiments, the semi-synthetic and inducible ELAM promoter as well as the CAG promoter were used as references. In contrast to hTNFAIP1 and hVCAM1 the ELAM, hCCL2 and pA20 promoters showed significant induction after cytokine challenge. The hCCL2 and pA20 promoters were further optimized, resulting in increased responsiveness to TNFα and IL1ß. Cytokine-dependent upregulation of promoter activity was tested in vivo, where the ELAM and the optimized hCCL2 promoters showed a 2-fold upregulation, while one of the improved A20 promoters showed almost 10-fold upregulation. Our results also revealed more than 4-fold cytokine inducibility of the CAG promoter. CONCLUSION: This is the first in vivo comparison of existing and newly designed cytokine-inducible promoters. Optimization of promoter structure resulted in almost 10-fold inducibility of promoter activity. Such a rapid and dynamically regulated response to inflammation and cell damage could reduce initial graft rejection, making the "Smart Graft" approach a useful means of modulating the expression of immune regulatory transgenes to avoid deleterious effects on porcine and human health. Expressing transgenes in this fashion could provide a safer organ for transplantation.