Genetic editing also called as genome editing. It is group of techniques used by genetic scientists to modify the DNA (genes) of an organism. Genetic editing is done by removing or adding the nucleotides in genes or altering the nucleotide sequence at specific positions of the genome. Gene editing can be performed in two ways:
Ex-vivo/In-vitro Gene editing
Cells are removed from the body and grown in culture medium for applying any DNA editing technique.
In-vivo Gene editing
This method is much complicated where cells/tissue is not removed from body. Gene editing enzymes or proteins are injected into the body for altering the DNA sequence of specific body tissue.
Major genetic editing techniques include:
Science Titbits
CRISPR stands for "Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats. CRISPR are repeated nucleotide sequences present in bacterial genome which are derived from the genome of viruses that have previously infected these bacteria. CRISPR act as memory which help the bacteria to defend against viruses. Cas9 stands for "CRISPR- associated protein 9". Cas9 protein is an enzyme that works as molecular scissors to cut the DNA strands. guide RNA (gRNA) is a synthetic RNA sequence designed to match the target DNA sequence. gRNA directs the Cas9 enzyme to cut the DNA at specific target site.
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Base Editing
This technique is a modified form of CRISPR in which highly specific single nucleotide is changed in the DNA without cutting the strands. One nucleotide base may be replaced to other e.g. A is replaced by G or C is replaced by T.
Gene editing has multiple applications in genetic research especially related to medicine and agriculture. Research involving genetic editing has significant potential for the treatment of genetic diseases, improving crop yield and quality. Followings are some major advantages and their examples: