December 21, 2019

A genetic editing tool based on a jumping gene for more reliable results

An article published in the journal “Nature” reports the use of cryo-electron microscopy to capture images of a genetic modification tool called INTEGRATE in the course of its work. A team led by Sam Sternberg of Columbia University applied this technique that uses a transposon to improve the results of a CRISPR-Cas system thanks to its ability to reliably insert DNA sequences into a genome. In essence, the use of a transposon eliminates the potential errors that CRISPR-Cas systems can create by cutting DNA.