CRISPR/Cas9技术在动物非编码RNA功能研究中的应用

CRISPR/Cas9系统是一种广泛存在于细菌和古菌中的免疫机制。近年来，已发展为一种快捷高效的基因编辑工具，用于研究编码或非编码RNA的功能。非编码RNA是一类不编码蛋白质的RNA，其可通过多种调控途径在动物的生长发育、疾病免疫等生理或病理过程中发挥重要的生物学功能。CRISPR/Cas9技术可以靶向核酸序列稳定敲除基因，得到敲除小鼠或细胞系，虽然其在非编码RNA功能研究中的使用干扰了邻近基因或宿主基因表达，但该技术的出现为非编码RNA功能机制的探索提供了不同的途径。本文通过简要概述CRISPR/Cas系统的发展和作用原理，并重点介绍CRISPR/Cas9技术在动物miRNA、lncRNA及circRNA功能研究中的应用，以期为相关研究提供参考。

Application of CRISPR/Cas9 Technology in the Study of Animal Non-coding RNA Function

CRISPR/Cas9 system is an immune mechanism that widely exists in bacteria and archaea. In recent years, it has been used as an efficient gene editing tool to investigate the function of coding or non-coding RNA. Non-coding RNA is a type of RNA that is not translated into proteins, and it plays an important role in biological processes such as animal growth, development and disease immunity through a variety of regulatory pathways. CRISPR/Cas9 technology can be used for targeting nucleotide sequence to get stable knockout mice or cell lines. When it is used in the research of non-coding RNA, it may interfere the expression of neighbor genes or host genes. Even though it has some shortages, this technology provides different ways for exploring the functional mechanism of non-coding RNA. In this review, we briefly summarize the history and functional principle of CRISPR/Cas system, and focus on its application in the functional research of miRNA, lncRNA and circRNA in animals in order to provide references for related research.