Genome-wide inactivation of porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs)

TLDR

Pig transplants could address organ shortages, but endogenous retroviruses pose a risk of cross‑species infection. The authors integrated CRISPR‑Cas into pig cells, continuously expressing Cas9 to mutate every PERV reverse‑transcriptase gene. This strategy eliminated replication of all PERV copies, preventing viral infection and transmission to human cells. Yang et al., Science, p.1101.

Abstract

Virally cleansing the pig genome Transplants from pigs could be a solution to a shortage of human organs for transplantation. Unfortunately, porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) are rife in pigs and can be transmitted to humans, risking disease. L. Yang et al. integrated CRISPR-Cas into the pig cell genome, where continuous induction of the Cas9 editing enzyme resulted in the mutation of every single PERV reverse transcriptase gene. This prevented replication of all copies of PERV, viral infection, and transmission to human cells. Science , this issue p. 1101