Zhang Xiaohu, Zhu Jingru, Zhang Di, Zhang Yueping
State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health and Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
China Agricultural University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Beijing, China.
Front Microbiol. 2025 Aug 14;16:1627509. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1627509. eCollection 2025.
Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), caused by feline coronavirus (FCoV), is a highly lethal disease characterized by systemic organ infection in cats. Current challenges of FIP include the absence of definitive diagnostic criteria, effective vaccines, and targeted therapies. Developing a robust genome editing toolkit is therefore critical to unraveling FCoV replication and pathogenesis mechanisms, elucidating viral protein functions, and identifying promising diagnostic and therapeutic targets.
In this study, we developed a yeast-based CRISPR genome editing system compatible with a TAR-generated FCoV infectious clone, enabling gene deletion, gene insertion, and point mutation with high efficiencies and accuracies.
This system not only will contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms of FCoV but also serves as a valuable platform for vaccine development. Furthermore, it offers a possible strategy for genome editing and reverse genetics for other coronaviruses.
猫传染性腹膜炎（FIP）由猫冠状病毒（FCoV）引起，是一种以猫全身器官感染为特征的高致死性疾病。FIP目前面临的挑战包括缺乏明确的诊断标准、有效的疫苗和靶向治疗方法。因此，开发一个强大的基因组编辑工具包对于阐明FCoV复制和发病机制、阐明病毒蛋白功能以及确定有前景的诊断和治疗靶点至关重要。
在本研究中，我们开发了一种基于酵母的CRISPR基因组编辑系统，该系统与通过TAR生成的FCoV感染性克隆兼容，能够高效、准确地进行基因缺失、基因插入和点突变。
该系统不仅有助于更好地理解FCoV的致病机制，还可作为疫苗开发的宝贵平台。此外，它为其他冠状病毒的基因组编辑和反向遗传学提供了一种可能的策略。
