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Genetic engineering is the act of modifying the genetic makeup of an organism. Modifications can be generated by methods such as gene targeting, nuclear transplantation, transfection of synthetic chromosomes or viral insertion. Selective breeding is not considered a form of genetic engineering.
The inclusion of base Z has the potential to heighten the binding affinity between complementary nucleic acids. Here, the authors integrated base Z into CRISRP-Cas12a crRNA to augment the interaction between the crRNA and the target DNA, resulting in a significant enhancement of editing efficiency.
This study established a strategy for systemic administration of prodrugs to induce activation in target neurons in the mammalian brain that express Ionotropic Receptors derived from the insect Drosophila melanogaster.
Combining genome-wide CRISPR–Cas9-mediated base editors with temporally resolved phosphoproteomics enables the functional screening of thousands of post-translational modification sites involved in T cell activation.
BEAN is a Bayesian approach for analyzing base editing screens with improved effect size quantification and variant classification. Applied to low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-associated common variants and saturation base editing of LDLR, BEAN identifies new LDL uptake genes and offers insights into variant structure–pathogenicity mechanisms.
UFObow is a single-wavelength excitable Brainbow technique, incorporating three newly developed blue-excitable fluorescent proteins. This method facilitates mapping of immune cells’ spatial distribution at a single-cell resolution.
In this Tools of the Trade article, Victor Tieu describes the development of MEGA, a platform that exploits the RNA-targeting capability of CRISPR–Cas13d and demonstrates its use to improve the anti-tumour activity of CAR T cells.
Rhizosphere microbiomes are shaped by both the environment and the host. A recent study of the maize microbiome reveals how plants recruit a specific microbiome to alleviate abiotic stress, and provides clues for precision microbiome engineering in agriculture.
CRISPR–Cas12a was used to directly replace mouse antibody variable chain genes with human versions in primary B cells. The edited cells underwent affinity maturation in vivo, improving the potency of HIV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies without loss of bioavailability. Affinity maturation of edited cells also enables new vaccine models and adaptive B cell therapies.
Suda and colleagues explore the enduring consequences of plasma membrane injury in budding yeast and mammalian cells. Their findings highlight that membrane damage induces irreversible cell-cycle arrest and premature cellular senescence, whereas upregulation of plasma membrane repair suppresses them.