ISDra2TnpB – A Miniature Plant Genome Editing Tool
ISDra2TnpB – A Miniature Plant Genome Editing Tool
WHY IN NEWS ?
- It is configured as a next generation tool for genome editing in plants to enable it to overcome the limitations of Cas9 and Cas12 of CRISPR.
- CRISPR allows precise genome editing with a lot of variations and also with some limitations due to the size of commonly used proteins Cas9 and Cas12 that contains 1000-1350 amino acids.
- The large size of such amino acids can pose a threat for effective delivery inside cells, especially through viral vectors.
- TnpB proteins are noted as the evolutionary ancestors of Cas12 nucleases and consists only around 350-500 amino acids.
WHAT IS GENOME EDITING TOOL ISDra2TnpB?
- It is derived from bacteria called Deinococcus Radiodurans which can survive extreme environmental conditions.
- It derives its roots from the family of transposons (also called jumping genes) that can move within the genome, targeting specific DNA sequences with the help of RNA.
WHY IS TnpB NEEDED?
- TnpB can target unique regions in the genome that Cas9 cannot.
- It also facilitates the creation of fusion proteins, broadening the scope of genome engineering applications. A fusion protein is created by joining two or more genes that is initially coded for separate proteins.
- It is very oppressive and effective on both types of flowering plants – Monocots (eg. – rice having one seed-leaf) and Dicot (Arabidopsis).