Experimental Test of Evolutionary Safety of a CRISPR-Cas9 Gene-Drive Element
Michael S Overton1, Sean E Guy1,2, Xingsen Chen1,3
1Department of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|December 11, 2023
Summary
CRISPR-Cas9 gene drives (CCGDs) show no detectable impact on genome-wide mutation or LOH rates in yeast. These genetic tools impose a weak, localized mutational burden, suggesting acceptable effects on genetic diversity.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Molecular Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- CRISPR-Cas9 gene drives (CCGDs) offer powerful genetic control for applications like disease vector eradication and conservation.
- Potential off-target mutations and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) from Cas9 activity raise concerns about CCGDs' long-term evolutionary safety.
Conclusions:
- The mutagenic effects of CCGDs require further investigation in diverse systems.
- Current results suggest that CCGDs may have acceptable impacts on off-target mutation rates and genetic diversity.
Related Concept Videos
01:59CRISPR
51.6K
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...
51.6K
02:53CRISPR and crRNAs
17.0K
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...
17.0K
02:31Homologous Recombination
50.6K
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...
50.6K