TALENs, a Revolutionary Innovation Tool in Germline Genome-Editing

Transcription activator‐like effector nuclease (TALENs) is an emerging programmable nuclease, enable precise genome editing by introducing DNA double‐strand breaks (DSBs) at specific genomic loci. DSBs subsequently recruit the endogenous non‐homologous end‐joining (NHEJ) or homology‐directed repair (HDR) units to the DSB site to mediate genome editing. Mutagenesis induced by the TALENs have shown higher efficacy, as much as 76%, and have been demonstrated to induce effective and heritable mutations in various organisms and cells, thus proving furthermore, to be highly scalable and reliable and is an applicable method to single cells and multicellular organisms. In this mini‐review, we summarized recent findings and applications of TALEN mediated germ line knock‐down in cells and vertebrate animal models.