The Gene of the Week.

For Laypeople and Lab Rats.

Tagged: CRISPR

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Genes of the Week

MYBPC3: Editing the Human Germline

So, last week it was published. For some the breakthrough, for others the breaking of taboos. Researchers around the controversial stem cell guru Shoukhrat Mitalipov have “CRISPRed” out a serious hereditary disease from human embryos. Hopefully most of my readers know by now that CRISPR are those amazing “gene scissors” that can be designed in such a way that they can create a DNA double-strand break at (almost) any point in the genome. If, at the same time as this, CRISPR is programmed against a certain defective gene, a “healthy” variant of this gene is introduced into a cell, there is a high chance that this cell will replace the disease-causing gene with the correct variant. And if this cell is now a fertilized egg cell, then all the offspring of this cell and with it the entire organism will carry the repaired gene version. … Read more

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Genes of the Week

Upf3a, the genetic crisis manager

We have reached a stage where the amount of studies that describe the function of a particular gene in a particular model organism and under particular conditions has become unmanageable. At the same time, articles that describe a completely new cellular mechanism that may occur in all animal and plant cells, but has remained hidden so far, became extremely rare. That’s why the two articles that appeared in the journal Nature last week are so special. And to understand what makes them special, we need to have a closer look on a paradoxical observation in the field of genetics that has become more prevalent over the last few years.… Read more

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Genes of the Week

p53, how we almost forgot about the guardian of the genome when CRISPRing around

When in 1979 six research groups independently described a 53 kDa protein, none of the participants suspected to which genetic superstar this protein would develop. This protein, which due to its molecular weight was given the not-so-impressive name p53, is perhaps the most important policeman in our cells; but only as long as it works properly. If p53 loses its functionality, it’s getting pretty dangerous. In fact, no other gene is mutated more frequently in tumor cells than p53. So how does normal p53 manage to keep all of our body cells in check and what does it all have to do with CRISPR?… Read more

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