Knowledge Zurich researchers overcome efficiency hurdle of compact gene scissors

New gene scissors can modify genetic material better. The new gene scissors are much smaller than the well-known Crispr gene scissors and can therefore be transported more easily to the genetic material in cells. In future, they will be used to treat genetic defects, for example.

However, the compact alternative has so far been less efficient than its larger predecessor, as the University of Zurich (UZH) explained in a press release on Monday. Zurich researchers have now overcome this hurdle by optimizing the mini gene scissors. The researchers presented the technology in a study published on Monday in the scientific journal Nature Methods.

Crispr-Cas technology was considered a revolution in medicine, biotechnology and agriculture. The two researchers Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna received a Nobel Prize for their discovery in 2020. The tools can be programmed to find a specific location in the DNA and precisely modify the genetic information. For example, a disease-causing mutation in the DNA can be restored to a healthy state.

Previous gene scissors were cumbersome

However, these Crispr-Cas gene scissors are relatively bulky, as first author of the study Kim Marquart explained to the Keystone-SDA news agency. According to the researcher, this bulkiness poses a challenge for efficient transport into the cells in which the genetic material is located.

Researchers have therefore recently been trying to use the much smaller evolutionary ancestor of the Cas12 protein, the TnpB protein, as gene scissors. The compact TnpB protein has already proven its worth for genome editing in human cells, albeit with low efficiency and limited accuracy, according to the UZH.

The researchers therefore optimized TnpB so that it edits the DNA of mammalian cells more efficiently than the original protein. They successfully used this in an initial test on mice. According to Marquart, it remains to be seen what the TnpB gene scissors will be used for in the future.

SDA