Good news! CRISPER and company! It is getting crisper!
"... Although researchers have harnessed it for genetic engineering, CRISPR is thought to be a microbial defence system that allows bacteria and other single-celled organisms called archaea to fend off viruses and other genetic invaders by sending Cas9 to chew up their DNA. Computational studies suggested that Cas9 probably evolved from proteins in the IscB family, which are encoded by transposons, or ‘jumping genes’, that can hop around to new locations in the genome. Until now, the function of IscB proteins has been unclear. ..."
"... These ancient DNA-cutting enzymes are guided to their targets by small pieces of RNA. While they originated in bacteria, they have now been engineered to work in human cells, suggesting they could be useful in the development of gene editing therapies, particularly as they are small (about 30 percent of the size of Cas9), making them easier to deliver to cells than bulkier enzymes. ..."
"... Using evolutionary analysis, RNA-seq, and biochemical experiments, we reconstruct the evolution of CRISPR-Cas9 systems from IS200/IS605 transposons. We show that IscB utilizes a single non-coding RNA for RNA-guided cleavage of double-stranded DNA and can be harnessed for genome editing in human cells. We also demonstrate the RNA-guided nuclease activity of TnpB, another IS200/605 transposon-encoded protein and the likely ancestor of Cas12 endonucleases. This work reveals a widespread class of transposon-encoded RNA-guided nucleases, which we name OMEGA (Obligate Mobile Element Guided Activity), with strong potential for developing as biotechnologies."
Researchers Uncover New Families of Gene-Editing Enzymes The results reveal evolutionary relatives of the Cas9 enzyme now used extensively in biotechnology.
New programmable gene editing proteins found outside of CRISPR systems Researchers find RNA-guided enzymes are more diverse and widespread than previously believed.
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