Publications by authors named "T Sonstegard"
Genome editing is the latest breeding tool capable of accelerating the rate of genetic improvement for health and well-being traits in food animals. It enables the introduction of beneficial alleles within a single generation, including those that are of low frequency or absent in the population, while effectively bypassing linkage drag. For the dairy industry, genome editing can be used to make rapid genetic improvements that are precise, efficient, and transgene-free for functional traits that are not practically addressed without disrupting conventional breeding goals for overall economic merit based on genomic selection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infection during pregnancy is a significant contributor to reproductive failures in cattle. The bovine receptor for BVDV (CD46) was previously edited with a six amino acid substitution (G82QVLAL to A82LPTFS) and shown to have significantly reduced BVDV susceptibility in a Gir heifer calf. Since a role for CD46 has been proposed in mammalian fertilization, our objective was to assess the edited heifer's fertilization rates, early embryonic development, and germline transmission conformation of the edit.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - Kisspeptin plays a crucial role in regulating gonadotropin secretion in pigs, and a study was conducted on F1 pigs from a parental line created by CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of the KISS1 gene, which eliminates the need for castration.
- - The research measured body weights, gonadotropin levels, and reproductive development in these pigs, finding that while body weight didn't differ based on genotype, KISS1-/- boars and gilts exhibited significantly reduced gonadotropin concentrations and experienced hypogonadism.
- - The results suggest that only one functional KISS1 allele is necessary for normal gonadal function and hormone secretion, and that the knockout of KISS1 does