Bovine iPSC and applications in precise genome engineering

Cattle constitute one of the most commercially important livestock species. They are a significant source of nutrition as well has had great economic importance. Through thousands of years of selective breeding humans have shaped cattle into these multipurpose species that are adapted to various environments around the globe. In the past decade, the sequencing of the cattle genome has paved the way for genetic enhancement of existing breeds to increase productivity and sustainability. More recently, developments in genome editing technologies and pluripotent stem cell culture can now be combined to achieve highly commercial goals for the livestock industry. In this chapter, we discuss the basics of these cutting-edge technologies and their applications in cattle. We focus on bovine iPSCs (biPSCs) as they can be generated in theory from any individual long after their genetic value has been proven, and their phenotypic characteristics validated and regardless of their fecundity status. Furthermore, we discuss the various genome editors and how these novel tools can be used for the genetic improvement of cattle.