CRISPR is a modern-day technology that has been a subject for usage in many applications across various fields of science. CRISPR enzymes hold the future of biological studies, as it is the first-ever and only successful approach regarding genome editing of any living cells. CRISPR was equipped with functions such as deleting, adding, and even cutting genomes for genetic use to do a broad possibility on genes.
CRISPR-Cas9 in Microbiome Gene Editing
A new study by the experts from the University of California - Berkeley to improve the best asset of the biology community. Although the CRISPR-Cas9 editing solution is still up and running to cater to its functions, scientists wanted to develop the technology and exceed its current performance. The main interest of the research was to 'upgrade' the gene-editing tool by allowing it to modify genetics in a collective group of various species simultaneously. This advancement will be beneficial not just for the experts but also for the findings that could potentially upscale and change the course of microbiological studies and other scientific fields.
Community editing through CRISPR is expected to be much faster and more efficient than the genetic modification that has been ongoing for 10 years since the technology's invention. Based on the study, CRISPR will have a chance to have the ability to alter multiple genes - a revised method that would increase the chances of valuable results not just from one cell of an organism but from a series of specimens gathered even from various species.
The CRISPR-Cas9's ability is still under development, but the previous functions that it worked for would still be available for other scientists that would need it. Even though there is a vast room for improvement presented over the natural community, there is no mistake that the old functions of CRISPR allowed us to unravel puzzling mysteries of microbial populations and gave experts a new perspective on microbiological studies.
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New CRISPR Function: 'Shotgun Approach'
UC Berkeley's Innovative Genomics Institute and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology experts Benjamin Rubin said in a PhysOrg report that modification of isolated microorganisms through breaking and changing is a crucial part that helped experts collect information about the unknown functions of the DNA. Being the author of the study, Rubin said that their team's development for the CRISPR technology brings a wide array of fundamental methods for understanding microbial communities. Among the key findings expected to be produced by the new research is to determine the unfamiliar functions and living cycles of microbes in different ecosystems.
The 'shotgun' capacity of the CRISPR on microbes could also help industrial-level enterprise alongside the field of biological research, as editing a bunch of cells and microbes in massive operation would let many store their cells, maintain them in bulk, and culture as many as needed. The first few goals right after developing the new community editing of CRISPR will be the first gateway to uncover complex structures and gene flows of various cellular communities such as archaea, fungi, and bacterias.
Along with Rubin, the study was made through the collaborative effort of CRISPR-Cas9 inventor Jennifer Doudna and Innovative Genomics Institute's Spencer Diamond. The study was published in the journal Nature Microbiology, titled "Species- and site-specific genome editing in complex bacterial communities."
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