CRISPR-Cas9

Question 1

What is CRISPA-Cas9

Answer 1

CRISPA-Cas9 is a tool use to edit DNA like a editing a word document.
Cas9 - Is the tool that does the cutting
Guide RNA - Is the tool that guides the Cas9 to the right DNA

Question 2

How does CRISPA-Cas9 work

Answer 2

1. Scientists find the specific gene that they want to target.
2. Scientists developed matching RNA to the specific DNA and run Ai test to find which has the most possible success to find the right DNA
3. The Guide RNA finds the right DNA and Cas9 locks on to the DNA and cuts it
4. Then the DNA is left to repair causing probability of the gene being fatly and not working

Question 3

What two ways do scientist ensure the gene is edited

Answer 3

Gene Knockout
1. The DNA is left for the cell to repair randomly cause small mistakes which might disable the gene

Gene Correction
2. If DNA is needed to be fixed or replaced an new gene is introduced during the cell repair changing its genetic composition.

Question 4

What are CRISPA-Cas9’s main uses

Answer 4

Treating Genetic Diseases 🏥
CRISPR can fix faulty genes that cause diseases by either:
✅ Repairing mutations (Gene Correction)
✅ Disabling harmful genes (Gene Knockout)
✅ Adding healthy genes (Gene Insertion)

Virus & Infectious Disease Research 🦠
CRISPR can detect and destroy viral DNA inside infected cells.
It has been tested for:
✅ HIV – Scientists are working on using CRISPR to remove HIV from infected cells.
✅ COVID-19 – CRISPR-based tests were created to detect the virus quickly.

Scientific Research & Gene Studies 🔬
CRISPR helps scientists study genes by turning them on/off.
This allows researchers to understand how genes affect diseases, growth, and traits.

Question 5

What is CRISPR is CRISPR-Cas9

Answer 5

CRISPR stands for:
🔹 Clustered
🔹 Regularly
🔹 Interspaced
🔹 Short
🔹 Palindromic
🔹 Repeats

This refers to natural repeating DNA sequences found in bacteria, which help bacteria defend against viruses. Scientists discovered how to use this system for gene editing, leading to CRISPR-Cas9.

Question 6

What were CRISPR-Cas9 origins

Answer 6

Originally, CRISPR-Cas9 was used as a defense mechanism by bacteria. When a virus infected the host, if the host survived, the bacterium would store a small piece of the virus’s DNA as genetic information. The next time the virus attacked, the bacterium would use this stored information to recognize the virus, and Cas9 would cut the viral DNA to stop the infection.

Question 7

What is PAM

Answer 7

✅ Answer (Back of Flashcard):

PAM (Protospacer Adjacent Motif) is a short DNA sequence next to the target gene.

Cas9 needs PAM to recognize and cut DNA (without it, no cutting happens!).

The most common PAM sequence for Cas9 is “NGG” (where N can be any base).

PAM ensures accuracy, preventing Cas9 from cutting random DNA.