CRISPR-CAS 9 – A new genome editing tool.

Abstract

Technologies for making and manipulating DNA have resulted in many advances over past years and the discovery of DNA double helix, DNA synthesis and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has revolutionised molecular biology. The advent of genomic sequencing technologies and rapid generation of whole-genome sequencing data for large numbers of organisms has been one of the singular advances of the past two decades. This follows several attempts over the years to manipulate gene function, including homologous recombination and RNA interference (RNAi). The development of efficient and reliable ways to make precise, targeted changes to the genome of living cells is a long-standing goal for researchers. The ability to engineer genomic DNA in cells and organisms easily and precisely will have major implications for basic biology, medicine and biotechnology. Recently, a new tool based on a bacterial CRISPR-associated protein-9 nuclease (Cas9) from Streptococcus pyogenes is transforming biology by providing a genome engineering tool based on the principles of Watson-Crick base pairing. Other recent approaches to targeted genome modificationZinc-finger nucleases [ZFNs] and transcription-activator like effector nucleases [TALENs] enable us to generate permanent mutations by introducing double stranded breaks to activate repair pathways. These approaches are costly and time-consuming to engineer, limiting their widespread use, particularly for large scale, high-throughput studies