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Updated: Mar 2, 2026

Enhanced Genome Editing with Cas9 Ribonucleoprotein in Diverse Cells and Organisms
Published on: May 25, 2018
A Single-Molecule View of Genome Editing Proteins: Biophysical Mechanisms for TALEs and CRISPR/Cas9
Luke Cuculis1, Charles M Schroeder1,2
1Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801;
Abstract:
Exciting new advances in genome engineering have unlocked the potential to radically alter the treatment of human disease. In this review, we discuss the application of single-molecule techniques to uncover the mechanisms behind two premier classes of genome editing proteins: transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) and the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated system (Cas). These technologies have facilitated a striking number of gene editing applications in a variety of organisms; however, we are only beginning to understand the molecular mechanisms governing the DNA editing properties of these systems. Here, we discuss the DNA search and recognition process for TALEs and Cas9 that have been revealed by recent single-molecule experiments.
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