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Animals
Special Issues
Animal Transgene and Gene Editing Technologies: Applications and Future Perspectives
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Animal Transgene and Gene Editing Technologies: Applications and Future Perspectives

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Genetics and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 August 2026 | Viewed by 4388

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Rui Guo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Host–Pathogen Interaction Mechanism and Precision Medicine Team, National & Local United Engineering Laboratory of Natural Biotoxin, Apitherapy Research Institute, College of Bee Science and Biomedicine, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Interests: host-pathogen interaction; molecular biology; biochemistry; antioxidants; precision medicine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jianfeng Qiu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Host–Pathogen Interaction Mechanism and Precision Medicine Team, National & Local United Engineering Laboratory of Natural Biotoxin, Apitherapy Research Institute, College of Bee Science and Biomedicine, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Interests: host–pathogen/parasite interaction; circadian clock; insect physiology; gene editing; omics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Xueling Xu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Bee Science and Biomedicine, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Interests: bee disease control; bee behavior; genetic screening; genetic improvement

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid development of transgenic and gene-editing technologies has ushered in a new era of animal biotechnology. CRISPR-Cas9, TALENs, ZFNs, and emerging base/prime editing systems now enable precise genetic modifications across diverse animal species, from livestock and aquatic organisms to wildlife. These innovations are transforming agriculture, biomedicine, and conservation, enhancing disease resistance, improving production traits, advancing xenotransplantation, and supporting ecosystem preservation. However, alongside these opportunities come critical considerations regarding ethics, welfare, regulatory frameworks, and global equity in technology access.

This Special Issue aims to showcase cutting-edge research on the design, application, and implications of genetic engineering in animals, including insects. We seek to publish interdisciplinary studies that bridge technical innovation with real-world impact while addressing societal concerns. We invite original research, reviews, and case studies that advance the field.

Scope and Themes:

We invite contributions on, but not limited to, the following topics:

Technology Development: Novel gene-editing tools (e.g., CRISPR variants, epigenetic editing), delivery systems (e.g., viral vectors, nanoparticles), and strategies to improve efficiency/specificity.

Agricultural Applications: Genetic improvements in livestock (e.g., disease-resistant pigs, heat-tolerant cattle) and aquaculture (e.g., fast-growing fish), with emphasis on welfare and sustainability.

Wildlife and Conservation: Gene drives for invasive species control, genetic rescue of endangered populations, and ethical debates.

Societal Implications: Regulatory policies, public perception, animal welfare considerations, and global disparities in technology adoption.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Rui Guo
Dr. Jianfeng Qiu
Dr. Xueling Xu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • CRISPR
  • transgenic animals
  • genome editing
  • livestock biotechnology
  • disease resistance
  • animal welfare

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2240 KB  
Article
Pigs with CD163 Mutation Conferred PRRSV Resistance
by Changbao Wu, Heyao Wang, Wei Zhang, Miaomiao Cheng, Yang Wang, Lian Chen, Chao Tang, Yanfeng Dai and Liping Zhang
Animals 2026, 16(5), 850; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16050850 - 9 Mar 2026
Viewed by 529
Abstract
Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), which is caused by the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), results in substantial economic losses for the global pig farming industry. A critical step in the infection process is the binding of PRRSV to the [...] Read more.
Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), which is caused by the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), results in substantial economic losses for the global pig farming industry. A critical step in the infection process is the binding of PRRSV to the CD163 receptor on the surface of porcine alveolar macrophages. This study successfully generated CD163−/− Landrace pigs using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology. Following an experimental challenge with two distinct Type II PRRSV strains, the edited pigs exhibited complete resistance to infection. Virological and pathological examinations confirmed the absence of viral replication and the presence of characteristic pulmonary lesions and other organ damage in CD163−/− pigs. In contrast, wild-type control pigs exhibited high viral loads and severe pulmonary lesions, as well as damage to other organs. Our findings provide direct evidence that CD163 is an essential receptor for PRRSV infection in vivo. The CD163−/− pig model offers an effective genetic strategy for breeding pigs with an inherent resistance to PRRSV. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal Transgene and Gene Editing Technologies: Applications and Future Perspectives)
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10 pages, 1283 KB  
Communication
Optimized Ribonucleoprotein Complexes Enhance Prime Editing Efficiency in Zebrafish
by Lang Qin and Qiupeng Lin
Animals 2025, 15(15), 2295; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15152295 - 6 Aug 2025
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2280
Abstract
Prime editing (PE) has emerged as a transformative genome editing technology, enabling precise base substitutions, insertions, and deletions without inducing double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs). However, its application in zebrafish remains limited by low efficiency. Here, we leveraged PE7, a state-of-the-art PE system, combined [...] Read more.
Prime editing (PE) has emerged as a transformative genome editing technology, enabling precise base substitutions, insertions, and deletions without inducing double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs). However, its application in zebrafish remains limited by low efficiency. Here, we leveraged PE7, a state-of-the-art PE system, combined with La-accessible prime editing guide RNAs (pegRNAs), to enhance editing efficiency in zebrafish. By co-incubating PE7 protein with La-accessible pegRNAs to form ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes and microinjecting these complexes into zebrafish embryos, we achieved up to 15.99% editing efficiency at target loci—an improvement of 6.81- to 11.46-fold over PE2. Additionally, we observed 16.60% 6 bp insertions and 13.18% 10 bp deletions at the adgrf3b locus, representing a 3.13-fold increase over PE2. Finally, we used PE to introduce desired edits at the tyr locus, successfully generating zebrafish with the tyr P302L mutation that exhibited melanin reduction. These findings demonstrate that PE7 significantly enhances prime editing efficiency in fish, providing novel tools for functional gene studies and genetic breeding in aquatic species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal Transgene and Gene Editing Technologies: Applications and Future Perspectives)
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13 pages, 3231 KB  
Article
Comparative Analyses Reveal Mitogenome Characteristics of Halictidae and Novel Rearrangement (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila)
by Dan Zhang and Zeqing Niu
Animals 2025, 15(15), 2234; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15152234 - 30 Jul 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 881
Abstract
Halictidae, as a major pollinator family in bees, has significant ecological value. However, the insufficient molecular data for this group has limited our understanding of the evolutionary history of this group. Herein, we newly sequenced and assembled four mitogenomes of Halictidae, including three [...] Read more.
Halictidae, as a major pollinator family in bees, has significant ecological value. However, the insufficient molecular data for this group has limited our understanding of the evolutionary history of this group. Herein, we newly sequenced and assembled four mitogenomes of Halictidae, including three species of Nomiinae and one species of Rophitinae. We analyzed the characters of the newly obtained mitogenomes, including nucleotide composition, sequence length, and gene rearrangements. The length of the newly sequenced mitogenomes ranged from 16,492 to 21,192 bp, and all newly obtained mitogenomes contained 22 tRNAs, 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNAs, and one control region. Their AT content (%) ranged from 82.55 to 86.44. Relative synonymous codon usage analysis showed that UUU, UUA, and AUU were the preferred codons. The relative synonymous codon usage > 2 of mostly newly sequenced species was as follows: UUA > UCA > CGA. All newly obtained mitogenomes show gene rearrangement; we found five gene rearrangement patterns in total. Notably, ND4-trnP-ND4L-trnT was the first reported gene rearrangement pattern in bees. In addition, we reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships of Halictidae based on 10 species (eight ingroups and two outgroups), using Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood approaches. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Rophitinae was the basal group within Halictidae. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal Transgene and Gene Editing Technologies: Applications and Future Perspectives)
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