New take on CRISPR allows scientists to transport DNA to new locations

A new variation of gene-editing technology CRISPR allows scientists to reorganize DNA in a cell’s nucleus in three dimensions, altering cell function.

By Hanae Armitage

With the help of a new rendition of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology, scientists at Stanford have shown that it’s possible to shuttle pieces of DNA around in the nucleus, affecting gene expression and cell behavior.

DNA is often though of as a list of As, Cs, Ts and Gs, written as a string of letters that codes for a range of biology’s fundamental elements. But magnified from its microscopic state, this script would appear a long, winding strand of three-dimensional rope.

Inside a cell, this molecular twine bundles up in a central compartment that acts as the control center, called the nucleus. But it’s not just crammed in haphazardly, the physical location of DNA in the cell matters. Qi explains in our release:

As I explain in the release, CRISPR-GO connects, like the tracks of a toy train, two regions of the nucleus: the target DNA’s original location and its future destination.

Qi says that in the future, they hope to understand why different locations in the nucleus can sway the function of DNA so drastically, with the intention to one day use that information to enhance human health.

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