CAS9 is a novel DNA-cutting enzyme that is the main component of an intrinsic DNA editing system used by bacteria to kill attacking viruses. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) are distinct features of most bacterial genomes, and thought to be involved in resistance to bacteriophages. CRISPR is a primitive immune system of sorts that determines resistance specificity, as published by the Danisco Corporation in Science1. Because of CAS9’s ability to allow for parallel targeted DNA edits has huge implications in a wide range of applications, including gene therapy, agricultural advancements, and energy-producing microbes for biofuels. Deltcheva et al investigated mechanisms of CRISPR RNA maturation and identified a small trans-encoded RNA that appears to direct RNA-mediated immunity2.
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Immunocytochemistry/Immunofluorescence: Cas9 Antibody
Jinek et al were able to identify the CAS9 family members and demonstrate their utility in RNA-programmable genome editing in a 2012 Science paper3. Their results were complemented by another Science publication out of Mali’s lab; this paper established the CAS9 system as a facile, robust, and multiplexable tool for genome engineering in human cells4. A Methods in Molecular Biology chapter authored by Yang’s group at Harvard Medical School details the protocols for using the CRISPR system in human cells; in particular, design methods and construct generation, as well as optimized delivery protocols are shared5. Because of the ease of customization and synthesis compared to current brute sequence-specific endonucleases, the CAS9 system is an exciting and extremely versatile genome engineering breakthrough.
Novus Biologicals offers CAS9 antibodies for your research needs.
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