Tag: TnpB
Over one million potential genome-editing enzymes discovered in microbes
20 September 2021 Researchers looking for evolutionary ancestors of enzymes used in the CRISPR genome editing have uncovered over one million potential genome-editing enzymes. The CRISPR/Cas9 approach uses small pieces of RNA as guides to direct a DNA-cutting enzyme called Cas9 to edit specific locations in the genome. It is this…
Researchers Uncover New Families of Gene-Editing Enzymes
By analyzing microbial genomes, researchers have found what may be evolutionary ancestors of the Cas9 enzyme that snips out bits of DNA during CRISPR genome editing, according to a study published last week in Science. According to Nature, the role of the microbial IscB protein family was unknown prior to the…
The CRISPR Family Tree Holds a Multitude of Untapped Gene Editing Tools
Thanks to CRISPR, gene therapy and “designer babies” are now a reality. The gene editing Swiss army knife is one of the most impactful biomedical discoveries of the last decade. Now a new study suggests we’ve just begun dipping our toes into the CRISPR pond. CRISPR-Cas9 comes from lowly origins….
MIT study finds more than 1m potential genome-editing tools in microbes
While investigating the ancestry of Cas proteins, the researchers also found the first evidence of CRISPR activity in a eukaryotic cell. CRISPR gene editing is a field with many promises that has sometimes struggled to deliver. Now, a new study published in the journal Science has made a step towards…
Researchers discover transposon-encoded RNA-guided nucleases with potential for genome editing
Researchers seeking to understand the origins of CRISPR-Cas9 systems have uncovered a class of transposon-encoded RNA-guided nucleases, which they dubbed “OMEGA,” that could be harnessed for genome editing in human cells. These systems hold strong potential for developing as biotechnologies, the authors say. CRISPR-Cas systems have transformed genome editing and…
New programmable gene editing proteins found outside of CRISPR systems
Left: Han Altae-Tran (Credit: Zhang Lab). Right: Soumya Kannan. Credit: Caitlin Cunningham Within the last decade, scientists have adapted CRISPR systems from microbes into gene editing technology, a precise and programmable system for modifying DNA. Now, scientists at MIT’s McGovern Institute and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have…
Trove of CRISPR-like gene-cutting enzymes found in microbes
The Cas9 enzyme — known as CRISPR’s molecular scissors — is used to find and cut specific DNA sequences.Credit: Nature By exploring the evolutionary origins of an enzyme used in the CRISPR genome-editing system, researchers have unearthed more than one million other potential editors lurking in microbial genomes. The study,…
New Class of Transposon-Encoded RNA-Guided Nucleases May Add to Genome Editing Toolbox
NEW YORK – A team of US researchers led by the Broad Institute’s Feng Zhang has discovered a new class of transposon-encoded RNA-guided DNA nucleases, which they said could be used for genome editing in human cells and hold potential for biotechnology. In a paper published on Thursday in Science,…