TALENS

Question 1

TALENS origin story

Answer 1

TALEN proteins were originally identified in Xanthomonas bacteria.
TALEN proteins play a role in plant pathogenesis.

Question 2

What is a TALEN?

Answer 2

Each TALEN protein is a small DNA-binding protein.
Each TALEN has 34 amino acids.
The 34 amino acid region in a TALEN protein has specificity to a single nucleotide.
Each TALEN only differs by two amino acids and that two amino acids confers specific binding to the each of the 4 nucleotide.

Question 3

How to use TALEN?

Answer 3

TALEN proteins can bind to regulatory regions of genes and alter the transcription from these genes.