Scientists mine global soil DNA data for new gene editors
Crispr
The bacteria living in a single teaspoon of your garden soil carry their own genetic scissors and jumping genes, and this trove of newly cataloged tools could eventually shape how scientists engineer crops and soil microbes for healthier gardens.
Researchers sifted through huge amounts of DNA data collected from soil, water, and other environments to find new versions of CRISPR-like tools and mobile genetic bits that bacteria use naturally. Think of it as a treasure hunt through the genetic material of trillions of unseen microbes, turning up new molecular scissors and DNA transporters that scientists can potentially repurpose for gene editing.
Key Findings
Large-scale metagenomic screening uncovered numerous previously uncharacterized programmable nuclease systems (CRISPR-like and related) in prokaryotes
The study also catalogued diverse mobile genetic elements, including transposons and other DNA-hopping sequences, across bacterial and archaeal genomes
The work expands the known diversity of natural gene-editing machinery available for future biotechnology applications
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists mined a massive public database of environmental DNA to catalog thousands of new gene-editing tools and DNA-hopping elements hidden inside bacteria and other microbes, expanding the toolkit researchers use to edit genomes.
Was this useful?
Want to tell us more? (optional)
Thanks for the note!
Something went wrong — please try again.
Too many submissions. Try again in an hour.
Gene editing removes 97% of celiac-triggering proteins from bread wheat
It could mean that people with celiac disease — roughly 1 in 100 worldwide — may one day safely eat bread made from real wheat, without sacrificing the taste...
Soil health is the capacity of soil to function as a living ecosystem, supporting complex interactions between microorganisms, soil fauna, and plant communities. For plant science, soil health is critical because these biological and chemical soil properties directly control nutrient availability,
arrow_forward Explore topic