Application advances and prospects of genome editing in molluscs

Genome editing is an important means of genetic modification of organisms. It has been widely used in a broad spectrum of fields, such as functional genomics, animal model generation, genetic improvement of animals and plants, and gene therapy. In recent years, the emergence of CRISPR/Cas9 technology has sparked a revolution in biological research. Efficient, accurate and low-cost CRISPR technology has become a useful tool to explore gene functions and elucidate life phenomena, and its application in molluscs is expanding rapidly. In this review, we introduced the developmental course and working mechanisms of gene editing technology, and its application and prospects in molluscs, which might promote further application of genome editing in more molluscan researches, and provide information for identification of gene functions, determining genes related to economic trait, and genetic improvement.