Tweezers instead of scissors
A new kind of CRISPR has been created – "genetic tweezers"
Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+
Thanks to the modification of CRISPR gene editing technology, scientists were able to change the spatial organization of DNA in cell nuclei. Scientists want to control the genome in three-dimensional space and use a kind of "tweezers" to move genetic fragments in the cell nucleus.
Researchers from Stanford University (USA) have changed the approach of CRISPR gene editing technology to genome reorganization. If the standard method is similar to "genetic scissors", then the new CRISPR-GO works on the principle of tweezers, capturing certain fragments of the genome and moving them to new places in the cell nucleus, according to the university's website (Researchers modify CRISPR to reorganize genome).
"CRISPR-GO allows us to move or target specific sections of DNA to see how a new location changes the functionality of the cell," explains the principle of the technology scientist Stanley Qi.
Previous studies prove that some freely moving proteins in the nucleus can affect the function of repositioned DNA. At the same time, the protein body may even retain the ability to suppress the formation of a cancerous tumor.
The team explored three different core regions. It turned out that the genes transferred to the region of the nucleus called the "Cajal corpuscle" stopped expressing proteins.
"This is the first time that there has been evidence that the Cajal body can have a direct effect on gene regulation. This also means its unexpected role in transcription control," Qi says.
CRISPR-GO technology has also been used to move DNA telomeres, which are associated with longevity. Their movement from the middle of the nucleus to the edge stopped the cell cycle and reduced viability.
On the other hand, when the telomeres were moved closer to the Cajal body, the cells grew and increased viability.
The findings open up great opportunities and questions for new research. Scientists are confident that the location of genome fragments in the nucleus will have a significant impact on human health.
Recently, with the help of CRISPR, scientists cured the fetus before birth: DNA editing was carried out in the mouse uterus and saved the future cub from a deadly disease – tyrosinemia.
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