For Immediate Release
Using CRISPR-Based Genome Editing to Create Red Tilapia
Contact: Kathryn Ryan
914-740-2250
kryan@liebertpub.com
New Rochelle, NY, August 18, 2021—Researchers used genome editing with CRISPR-Cas9 to generate a genetically stable and heritable tilapia with a solid-red phenotype. There is increasing commercial demand for red tilapia, however the phenotype that produces red tilapia in nature is genetically unstable, as described in The CRISPR Journal. Click here to read the article now.
Nile tilapia is one of the most widely cultured species in global aquaculture. Red tilapia are usually formed by crossing different hybrid strains of Nile tilapia with other strains of tilapia. However, the phenotypes are genetically unstable and affected by environmental factors, often resulting in black or dark red spots, which reduce the market value of the fish.
Jakob Biran, PhD, and coauthors from the Volcani Center in Israel, identified and cloned the slc45a2 gene in Nile tilapia. They used CRISPR-Cas9 technology and highly specific guide RNAs (gRNAs) to knockout exon 1 of the gene. They “showed that when these gRNAs are multiplexed as ribonucleoproteins (RNPS) and delivered into Nile tilapia zygotes, they induce oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) in this species, resulting in a solid-red phenotype,” state the authors.
The article by Dr Biran and colleagues is the cover article in the August 2021 issue of The CRISPR Journal.
About the Journal
The CRISPR Journal is a groundbreaking peer-reviewed journal dedicated to outstanding research and commentary on all aspects of CRISPR and gene editing research. Published bimonthly in print and online and led by Editor-in-Chief Rodolphe Barrangou, PhD, North Carolina State University, the Journal covers CRISPR biology, technology and genome editing, and commentary and debate of key policy, regulatory, and ethical issues affecting the field. For complete information and a sample issue, please visit The CRISPR Journal website.
About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research. The CRISPR Journal adds an exciting and dynamic component to the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. portfolio, which includes GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News) and more than 80 leading peer-reviewed journals. A complete list of the firm’s 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.