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IGIB finds a protein with better precision in gene-editing
Why is in news?
- Researchers at the Delhi-based Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) have discovered a protein variant from a different species of bacteria that can edit the DNA with very high precision
More in news
- In the tool now commonly used for editing disease-causing mutations in DNA (CRISPR-Cas9), the Cas9 protein behaves like a molecular scissors that cuts the DNA at a specific location and inserts a foreign piece of DNA to correct the mutation that causes the disease.
- In addition to binding to the intended target on the DNA, the commonly used Cas9 protein from Strepotococcuspyogenes bacteria (SpCas9) and its engineered derivative tend to potentially bind to DNA at multiple unintended sites thereby leading to unnecessary alterations in the DNA.
- The researchers found their new Cas9 protein, which binds and cuts the DNA, was able to correct sickle cell anaemia mutation in patient-derived stem cells.
- The protein (FnCas9) used by the researchers to edit the DNA is derived from a bacterium — Francisellanovicida.
- Cas9 protein and gene editing
(1) The Cas9 protein is supposed to bind to the DNA only when there is a perfect match between the DNA and the protein, thus reducing the chances of the protein binding at non-target sites on the DNA.
(2) But even when three mismatches exist between the protein and the DNA, the currently used SpCas9 protein binds and cleaves the DNA.
(3) In contrast, the team from IGIB found the new FnCas9 protein showed negligible binding when there exists more than one mismatch in the target DNA.
Source
The Hindu