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Fig. 7 | Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology

Fig. 7

From: Application of new biotechnologies for improvements in swine nutrition and pork production

Fig. 7

Utilization of the CRISPR system as a new alternative to antibiotics. The CRISPR-Cas system has an ability to selectively target specific DNA sequences and, therefore, can easily distinguish between pathogenic or commensal bacterial species. Bacteriophages can be utilized to deliver the CRISPR-Cas cargo into bacteria through receiving either a designed DNA that encodes a guide RNA and Cas9 or a guide RNA and Cas3 to cut bacterial DNA molecules at multiple sites, causing self-destruction of the bacteria. Alternatively, the CRISPR-Cas9 system can be utilized to knock out genes responsible for antimicrobial resistance and re-sensitize the multidrug resistant bacteria, so that they will be killed by antibiotics. Finally, a CRISPR-Cas9 system can be constructed as a CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) plasmid vector that carries a DNA sequence for inactivated Cas9 and a guide RNA to silence the expression of membrane-bound virulent proteins and antibiotic-resistant genes

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