Production of hypoallergenic milk from DNA-free beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) gene knockout cow using zinc-finger nucleases mRNA

The whey protein β-lactoglobulin (BLG) is a major milk allergen which is absent in human milk. Here, we for the first time generated DNA-free BLG bi-allelic knockout cow by zinc-finger nuclease (ZFNs) mRNA and produced BLG-free milk. According to the allergenicity evaluation of BLG-free milk, we found it can trigger lower allergic reaction of Balb/c mice including the rectal temperature drop and the allergen-specific immunoglobulin IgE production; BLG free-milk was easily digested by pepsin at 2 min, while BLG in control milk was still not completely digested after 60 min, and the binding of IgE from cow’s milk allergy (CMA) patients to BLG free-milk was significantly lower than that to the control milk. Meanwhile, the genome sequencing revealed that our animal is free of off-target events. Importantly, editing animal genomes without introducing foreign DNA into cells may alleviate regulatory concerns related to foods produced by genome edited animals. Finally, the ZFNs-mediated targeting in cow could be transmitted through the germline by breeding. These findings will open up unlimited possibilities of modifying milk composition to make it more suitable for human health and also improve the functional properties of milk.