CRISPR Flashcards
How is genetic engineering different from genome editing?
Genome editing targets the insertions into site specific locations, unlike genetic engineering that inserts genetic material randomly into the host genome
Give three examples and three applications of random integration
Examples: Transgenesis, transposon mutagenesis, (retro)viral mutagenesis. Applications: 1) Functional studies of overexpressed genes 2) Integration of exogenous genes 3) Functional genetic screens
Give three examples of genome editing and applications
Examples: 1) Knockout alleles 2)Conditional alleles 3)CRISPR genome editing, Applications: 1) Functional studies of genes 2) Tagging of genes to study localization or expression patterns in vivo 3) Functional genetic screens
What is a pseudopregnant mouse?
I female bred with an infertile mouse that behaves hormonally pregnant allowing its use as a recipient for embryos
What are meganucleases?
Microbial endonucleases with very long (more than 14 bp) recognition sequences. Unlike other nucleases, such as restriction enzymes, meganucleases are highly specific and often recognize unique sequences that are not found elsewhere in the genome.
What can meganucleases generate?
Fusion proteins
What is the problem with meganucleases?
It is very specific, but it is unlikely that any gene of interest contains that recognition sequence
what are zink-finger nucleases?
Artificial nucleases comprising of engineered zink-finger domains and engineered catalytic subunit of Fokl endonuclease
What are zink finger domains?
they are derived from transcription factors and each domain recognizes about 3 bp
What is Fokl?
An endocnuclease with separate DNA recognition and cleavage domains, Fokl cleavage domains activate upon dimerization (with another Fokl enzyme)
What is the problem with the zink fingers?
A nuclease has to be created for each application
What are TALENs?
Transcription activator-like effector nucleases
What are transcription activator-like receptors?
Proteins secreted by a plant pathogenic bacteria
What do TALEs do?
Bind promotor sequence in host cells to activate genes that aid infection
What are the repeat domains of TALEs?
One domain contains 33-35 amino acids repeat motifs with variable aa at position 12 and 13 and binds to DNA
What is RVD?
Repeat variable disresidue
How specific are RVDs?
For single nucleotides
Why are TALEs so good in genome editing?
TALE domains can be engineered to specifically target and bind to any desired DNA sequence
What is TALEN?
Fusion proteins containing a series of repeat motifs and Fokl catalytic subunit
What is the downside of TALEN?
A new nuclease has to be created for each application
What are the DNA repair pathways that genome editing techniques rely on?
Non-homologous end-joining and homologous recombination
When does non-homologous end-joining take place and how is the error rate?
Mainly in G1. error prone
When does homologous recombination take place and how is the error rate?
in G2, precise and error free