Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 4, 2026
09:51
Enhanced Genome Editing with Cas9 Ribonucleoprotein in Diverse Cells and Organisms
Published on: May 25, 2018
36.0K
Efficient genome editing using CRISPR-Cas9 in reef-building corals
Amanda I Tinoco1,2, Catherine F Henderson1,3, Emily K Meier1,3
1Department of Embryology, Carnegie Science, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Nature Protocols
|March 2, 2026
Summary
Scientists developed CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing methods for corals, enabling functional gene studies. This breakthrough aids research into coral heat tolerance and skeleton formation, crucial for reef conservation.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Genetics
- Ecology
Background:
- Coral reefs are vital, biodiverse ecosystems threatened by climate change-induced ocean warming.
- Understanding coral molecular mechanisms for traits like heat tolerance is limited by a lack of genetic tools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop efficient genetic modification methods for corals.
- To enable functional gene characterization in corals using CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis.
Main Methods:
- Collection of Acropora millepora gametes during spawning.
- Microinjection of coral zygotes with CRISPR-Cas9 reagents.
- Rearing of mutant coral larvae and juveniles for analysis.
Main Results:
- A protocol for gene editing in corals was established, taking 2-4 weeks.
- Successfully applied to study genes influencing heat tolerance and skeleton formation.
- This method is currently the only available technique for gene editing in corals.
Conclusions:
- New reverse genetics approaches can now be used to study key coral traits.
- Advances facilitate research into coral symbiosis and its response to heat stress.
- This work provides foundational tools for coral reef molecular ecology and conservation.
Related Concept Videos
01:28CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing
2.2K
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...
2.2K
01:59CRISPR
58.4K
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...
58.4K
02:53CRISPR and crRNAs
19.4K
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...
19.4K
02:31Homologous Recombination
64.4K
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...
64.4K
02:53Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation
7.0K
Because the DNA segments are cut and reorganized in a direction-specific manner, site-specific recombination has emerged as an efficient genetic engineering technique. Flippase and Cyclization recombinases or Flp and Cre, respectively, are two members of the tyrosine recombinase family derived from bacteriophages, that are used to mediate site-specific DNA insertions, deletions, and targeted expression of proteins in mammalian cell lines.
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
7.0K