Current Strategies of Genomic Modification in Livestock and Applications in Poultry

Since the development of the first genetically-modified mouse, transgenic animals have been utilized for a wide range of industrial applications as well as basic research. To date, these transgenic animals have been used in functional genomics studies, disease models, and therapeutic protein production. Recent advances in genome modification techniques such zinc finger nuclease (ZFN), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALEN), and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRIPSR)-Cas9, have led to rapid advancement in the generation of genome-tailored livestock, as well as experimental animals; however, the development of genome-edited poultry has shown considerably slower progress compared to that seen in mammals. Here, we will focus primarily on the technical strategies for production of transgenic and gene-edited chickens, and their potential for future applications.