Abstract: Transgenic approach can break-through the barrier of breeds, integrate multiple gene effects and modify the genome based on the requirement of mankind, therefore it exhibits great potentials. Since the first transgenic animal born in 1982, more than ten species of transgenic animals have been reported. The methods to generate transgenic animals were developed from original pronuclear microinjection to nuclear transfer, viral vector transgenesis, and concurrent genome editing. The aims of the transgenic animal are also expanded from establishment of transgenic animal technique to generation of transgenic model, improvement of the productive performance or product quality, as bioreactor to produce high value pharmaceutical proteins, and breeding new animal breeds. Hereby the worldwide approaches, the faced problems, and the tendency to produce transgenic sheep were summarized. The proceedings of generation of transgenic novel breeds or animal models, and the characteristics of transgenic techniques were reviewed. The barrier and bottleneck of transgenic techniques were also addressed. Particularly, the feature, tendency and potential of the concurrently highlighted genome editing technique were comprehensively documented. Moreover, the necessity to establish a technological system of transgenic sheep was elucidated, and the present status, gain of innovation and breakthrough, highlighted target of transgenic sheep in domestic in future were reviewed. Meanwhile, the outlook of the economic, ecological and social effects resulted from transgenic sheep were further analyzed and previewed as well.

Key words: sheep, transgenic technology, large-scale