Gene+Editing+with+CRISPR+Cas9


 * Gene Editing with CRISPR-Cas9**

**Post #2**

 * November 20th, 2015**

CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats. These are components of a system used by bacteria to defend invading viruses. Cas9 is one of the enzymes produced by this system. It binds to specific regions of the DNA and cuts it, allowing for these regions to be manipulated. Researchers take great advantage of this enzyme to edit genes because of its preciseness and low cost.

Researchers in China are the first to use this gene editing tool to produce super-muscled dogs. Their goal is to create test subjects that imitate degenerative human diseases. These scientists disrupted the myostatin gene in beagles, which doubled their muscle mass. The beagles are similar to super-muscled Belgian blue cattle and whippet dogs, both of which have been bred in a way that they “naturally” suppress myostatin production at the genetic level. When the myostatin gene is interfered with, the body stops producing the muscle-inhibiting protein created by the gene, resulting in extra muscle mass.

The purpose of this experiment was to create dogs with DNA mutations similar to Parkinson’s and muscular dystrophy. Researcher Liangxue Lai from the Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology at the Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedical Health states that dogs are very close to humans in terms of metabolic, physiological, and anatomical characteristics. “The goal is to explore an approach to the generation of new disease dog models for biomedical research.”



Although it is currently illegal to use CRISPR on human subjects, scientists hope to eventually treat degenerative disorders in humans with similar methods.

media type="youtube" key="2pp17E4E-O8" width="560" height="315" This video demonstrates how CRISPR Cas9 is used in genetic editing, providing clarification to the subject.


 * Further Reading**

This article provides further information on the dogs that were genetically modified: [|http://www.technologyreview.com/news/542616/first-gene-edited-dogs-reported-in-china/]

This article gives an in-depth explanation of CRISPR-Cas9 and discusses the ethical issues on the

subject: [|http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2015/11/17/gene-editing-new-frontiers/]

This article talks about the experiments with CRISPR performed in China and the controversy that comes with them: []

This article is about an international team of researchers that have identified potential alternatives to Cas9: []


 * Sources Cited **

[] [] [] [|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pp17E4E-O8#action=share] [] []