Enhancing the antibacterial activities of sow milk via site-specific knock-in of a lactoferrin gene in pigs using CRISPR/Cas9 technology

Colostrum quality is a vital factor in mortality and growth performance for piglets. Lactoferrin is an immuno-active milk protein that contributes to the formation of a protective layer above intestinal mucosa, possesses the antibacterial and antiviral activities that are favorable for piglet development. However, there is a notable reduction in lactoferrin in sow milk during lactation after the first few days, which causes many piglets to fail to ingest enough colostrum thereby leading to an increase in piglet mortality. In this study, we successfully constructed genome-edited Large-White pigs with marker-free site-specific knock-in of lactoferrin gene in the 3′-end of Casein alpha-s1 via CRISPR/Cas9 mediated homologous recombination. Thus, the lactoferrin protein can be expressed in the mammary gland in the control of Casein alpha-s1 promoter. As expected, the lactoferrin protein in genetically modified pigs sustained high expression in both colostrum and milk when compared with wild-type pigs. Moreover, the bacterial plate assay indicated that the milk from genetically modified pigs showed bacteriostatic effects when compared with control pigs. Taken together, our study demonstrated that the milk from genetically modified pigs had antibacterial activity which may reduce the costs of veterinary drug and improve the surviving rate of piglets, which is promising for pig breeding.