Accessible Genome Science: the Lifengine FusX Kit is the world’s first all-inclusive, inhouse, aut Genome engineering is biological re- programming.
It is the process of making de ned changes in DNA, the software of the cell. Modern genome editing tools focus on the ability to target unique sequences of DNA with a ‘cursor’ that hones in on the right part of the genome to label, modify, or break DNA in very speci c places. One DNA ‘cursor’ tool is the Transcription Activator-Like E ector (TALE), a customizable DNA binding protein originally dis
covered in pathogenic plant bacteria. TALEs rely on a simple mechanism of amino acid sequences containing Repeat Variable Diresidues (RVDs) to identify and bind to any target DNA sequence. Each RVD recognizes one DNA basepair, and combining RVDs into a string creates the code for a TALE’s target sequence. The TALE ‘cursor’ proteins can be paired with a nuclease (N) protein, which cleaves both strands of DNA. The TALE’s programmed RVDs a x themselves to the corresponding base- pair section of target genomic DNA to guide the Nuclease to the right cleavage point. These target-and-cut protein combos are called TALENs. TALENs work in pairs, flanking the sequence of DNA they want to cut like two scissor blades coming together. Because of their exceptional cutting ability and high precision TALENs are one of the most trusted and flexible genome engineering tools in use today.
