Myostatin基因编辑家畜研究进展

Progress of Myostatin gene editing in domestic animals

肌肉生长抑制素基因(Myostatin,MSTN)是转录生长因子-β(transforming growth factor-β,TGF-β)超家族成员,是骨骼肌生长的负向调节剂。MSTN基因突变会引起成肌细胞数量增加,进而导致动物前后肢、肩、臀等部位的肌肉群异常发达而呈现“双肌”性状(double muscle phenomenon,DMP)。MSTN基因展现出的可以作为家畜育种的分子标靶基因的潜力,使得MSTN基因及其调控的研究成为家畜育种中生长发育与产肉性状相关研究中的热点。近年来,利用基因编辑技术对猪、牛、羊等家畜的MSTN基因进行编辑以提高其产肉性能取得了积极的进展。文章对MSTN基因进行概述,并对MSTN基因在猪、牛、羊中的基因编辑实例进行总结,为今后家畜MSTN基因编辑提供参考。

Myostatin,a member of the transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β)superfamily,is a negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth.Inactivating mutations in the Myostatin gene would result in a hyper-muscularity phenotype known as“double muscling”in the livestock showing the abnormal muscle growth in the fore and hind limbs,shoulders,and hips.With its great potential of being a molecular target for livestock breeding,the Myostatin and its regulation are becoming one of the hot spots for association analysis of growth and meat traits in the animal breeding.In recent years,some advances were made in improving meat production for animals like pigs,cattle and sheep by using gene editing technology to modify the Myostatin gene.This paper reviewed the Myostatin gene and its editing examples in pigs,cattle and sheep to provide a reference for future Myostatin gene editing in livestock.