Epigenetic Editing Makes the (Neuronal) Connection Between C11orf46 and NeurodevelopmentJanuary 21, 2020Whether it’s our personal of professional lives, we’re told time and time again that making the right connection is key. It turns out that that’s also true for our brains; making proper neuronal connections early is make or break. Altered neuronal connections can cause neurodevelopmental disorders. Often, these disorders are associated with mutations in genes […]
Inside Job: dCas9 Hijacks Endogenous Chromatin Machinery to Modulate Gene ExpressionNovember 22, 2019In the newest spy movie hitting theaters this month, undercover agents sneak inside the innermost sanctum of fortress walls to hijack nuclear weapons…err nuclear machinery to upregulate gene expression. Spoiler alert, we’ll even reveal the agents’ identities: it’s catalytically dead Cas9 (dCas9) with a small molecule associate, teaming up to complete the mission. While other […]
Casilio-ME Engineers dCas9-Demethylation to the Next Gene Expression LevelOctober 7, 2019DNA methylation got your expression down? Why not try targeted demethylation with Casilio-ME? CRISPR/Cas9 techniques have been applied to numerous biological tasks including regulation of DNA methylation. 5-methyl cytosine (5mC) is deposited by DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) and removed by step-wise oxidation via the three ten-eleven translocation (TET) enzymes; 5mC is first converted to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), […]
Epitranscriptomic Editing: m6A RNA Methylation Tools Join the CRISPR Arms RaceSeptember 11, 2019CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing has revolutionized not only the way genomes are modified, but thanks to deactivated Cas9 (dCas9) and it’s growing arsenal of effector domains, it has also provided the tools needed for the epigenome editing revolution. However, to date, the tools to modify RNA itself have been lagging behind in the epigenome editing arms […]
Epigenetic Editing Wipes Fear Memory in a Sex-Specific MannerFebruary 4, 2019Whether it’s the sure thing you bet on for the Super Bowl or the grant that keeps escaping your grasp, some memories are best forgotten. However, memories are complicated to say the least, and with most of us left wanting to retain a few of the more enjoyable examples, a targeted editing approach would certainly help. Thankfully, new […]
Perturb-ATAC: Single-Cell Multiplex CRISPR Screening of Chromatin Regulatory NetworksJanuary 30, 2019Feeling perturbed by the limitations of current chromatin assays? Looking for something high throughput that combines multiplexed genome editing with single cell resolution of open chromatin? Well look no further than Perturb-ATAC. The lab of Paul Khavari (Stanford, California) sought to address the above challenges with simultaneous measurements of perturbations and chromatin state in single […]
CRISPR-Cas9 Mediated Deletion of Imprinted Genes Enables Same-Sex Reproduction in MiceOctober 23, 2018Having the birds and bees talk can be a little awkward for some parents, but at least the rules were straight forward. Well one of those basic rules—that you need a sperm and an egg to make an embryo—just isn’t true anymore. A seminal discovery in mammalian genetics was that fertilization in mice required maternal […]
dCas9 Shoots Down Microsatellite Repeat ExpansionNovember 22, 2017Dealing with microsatellite disorders has been as difficult as shooting down actual satellites, but thanks to dCas9 its gotten a lot easier. The CRISPR/Cas9 system has proven to be much more than just a pair of scissors. For instance, CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) uses deactivated Cas9 (dCas9) to create site-specific steric hinderance to perturb gene expression. […]
HITI: Gene Knock-Ins for Old CellsDecember 29, 2016Just like kids during the holidays, young stem cells have all the fun with their fancy new CRISPR-themed gene editing gifts, while their older, wiser, more differentiated counterparts keep getting nothing but coal. (Well technically carbon nanotubes, but elementally the same). This neglect is partly the fault of more differentiated cells themselves; stodgy as they are, […]
CRISPR Gene Editing Prefers the Naïve Side of PluripotencyJanuary 11, 2016While many across the universe have been pondering over the decision between the light and the dark side of the Force, a more pressing decision confronts CRISPR-based gene editing in stem cells: the primed or the naïve side of pluripotency!? Pluripotent Stem Cells (PSCs), such as human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), human embryonic stem […]
