Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 5, 2025
07:59
Folding and Characterization of a Bio-responsive Robot from DNA Origami
Published on: December 3, 2015
14.8K
Construction of an optically controllable CRISPR-Cas9 system using a DNA origami nanostructure
Katsuhiko Abe1, Hiroshi Sugiyama, Masayuki Endo
1Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-oiwakecho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan. hs@kuchem.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)
|May 13, 2021
Summary
This study presents photo-controlled DNA cleavage using DNA origami and Cas9 nuclease. Releasing Cas9 after light exposure restores its ability to selectively cut double-stranded DNA (dsDNA).
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- CRISPR-Cas9 is a powerful gene-editing tool.
- Controlling Cas9 activity spatially and temporally is crucial for precise applications.
- DNA origami offers a versatile platform for nanoscale engineering.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a photo-controlled system for sequence-selective double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) cleavage.
- To utilize DNA origami nanotechnology to regulate Cas9 nuclease activity.
Main Methods:
- Incorporation of Cas9 nuclease within a ring-shaped DNA origami structure.
- Demonstration of suppressed Cas9 activity when encapsulated.
- Photo-irradiation to trigger the release of Cas9 and restore its enzymatic function.
Main Results:
- Cas9 activity was completely inhibited when integrated into the DNA origami structure.
- Photoirradiation successfully released the active Cas9 nuclease.
- Restored Cas9 exhibited sequence-selective dsDNA cleavage capability.
Conclusions:
- DNA origami can effectively sequester and control Cas9 activity.
- Photo-irradiation provides a non-invasive trigger for activating Cas9.
- This approach enables precise, light-controlled, sequence-specific dsDNA cleavage.
Related Concept Videos
01:59CRISPR
54.1K
Genome editing technologies allow scientists to modify an organism’s DNA via the addition, removal, or rearrangement of genetic material at specific genomic locations. These types of techniques could potentially be used to cure genetic disorders such as hemophilia and sickle cell anemia. One popular and widely used DNA-editing research tool that could lead to safe and effective cures for genetic disorders is the CRISPR-Cas9 system. CRISPR-Cas9 stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced...
54.1K
01:28CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing
795
The CRISPR-Cas system serves as a bacterial defense mechanism against invading genetic elements such as viruses and plasmids, forming the foundation for its adaptation as a powerful genome-editing tool. Originally discovered in prokaryotes, this system has been repurposed to revolutionize genetic engineering across a wide range of organisms, including plants, animals, and humans. The core component, Cas9, is an endonuclease derived from Streptococcus pyogenes, capable of introducing...
795
02:53CRISPR and crRNAs
18.0K
Bacteria and archaea are susceptible to viral infections just like eukaryotes; therefore, they have developed a unique adaptive immune system to protect themselves. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR-associated proteins (CRISPR-Cas) are present in more than 45% of known bacteria and 90% of known archaea.
The CRISPR-Cas system stores a copy of foreign DNA in the host genome and uses it to identify the foreign DNA upon reinfection. CRISPR-Cas has three different...
The CRISPR-Cas system stores a copy of foreign DNA in the host genome and uses it to identify the foreign DNA upon reinfection. CRISPR-Cas has three different...
18.0K
02:31Homologous Recombination
58.2K
The basic reaction of homologous recombination (HR) involves two chromatids that contain DNA sequences sharing a significant stretch of identity. One of these sequences uses a strand from another as a template to synthesize DNA in an enzyme-catalyzed reaction. The final product is a novel amalgamation of the two substrates. To ensure an accurate recombination of sequences, HR is restricted to the S and G2 phases of the cell cycle. At these stages, the DNA has been replicated already and the...
58.2K