Advances in Genetically Modified Chinese Macaques

Experimental animals and human disease research are a symbiotic relationship in life science field. Due to the proximity with humans in the aspects of genetic evolution, physiology, biochemistry and pathology, macaque monkeys become indispensable experimental animals in biomedicine research. Genetically modified macaques (also known as genetic engineering macaques) could be important experimental materials and advanced animal models for understanding molecular mechanisms of human physiology and pathology under observation of expression and being regulation of the targeted gene modified in the whole life of animals. Currently, combination of high-efficient assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) in macaques with precise gene editing technologies is the only way of developing genetically modified monkeys. Now in China, ARTs in Chinese rhesus macaques included semen collection and cryopreservation, superovulation, in vitro fertilization and embryo culture, embryo transfer and pregnancy management, thus "test-tube monkey", and all have been efficiently completed. The establishment and development of the current gene editing technology, ZFN (zinc-finger nucleases), TALEN (transcription activator-like effector nucleases) and CRISPR/Cas9 (Clustered regularly interspaced short Palindromic repeats/Cas9), create great chances for production of genetically modified macaques. Scientists in China have successfully developed transgenic macaques with overexpression of green fluorescence protein gene and gene mutagenesis in macaques. With the breakthrough and development of various technologies, combined with abundant experimental macaque resources, avoiding various reproductive physiological obstructions of macaques, China is expected to become an appropriate international base in application of genetic engineering macaques.