According to scientists at the Medical College of Georgia, a new edition of the CRISPR gene tool successfully suppressed the expression of Tspan2 gene involved in the differentiation of smooth muscle cells that help give strength and movement to organs and blood vessels. The researchers made a single-base change in the promoter region of Tspan2 and found that this inactivated the Tspan2 gene in the aorta and bladder without collateral damage unlike traditional CRISPR. This new editing only cuts a single strand of DNA unlike traditional editing which cuts double strands of DNA and makes unintended changes, which can be deadly to cells. Traditional CRISPR has 3 components: Cas9, molecular scissors that cuts both strands of DNA, guide RNA that directs the scissors to the right place and a repair model in case of problems. The new edition is composed of: Modified Cas9, named Cas9 nickase, which cuts a single strand of DNA, a complex called “main editor” with a reverse transcriptase and a PegRNA, the guide RNA of this new edition. One of the uses of this new CRISPR editing could be to create cell-specific knockout mice without extensive selection efforts that could also result in an exact model, for example, of the megacystis-microcolon-intestinal hypoperistalsis syndrome.
