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Search results for: genome editing
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Efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and genome editing of Fagopyrum tataricum
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Catalytic Mechanism of Non-Target DNA Cleavage in CRISPR-Cas9 Revealed by Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics
PublicationCRISPR-Cas9 is a cutting-edge genome editing technology, which uses the endonuclease Cas9 to introduce mutations at desired sites of the genome. This revolutionary tool is promising to treat a myriad of human genetic diseases. Nevertheless, the molecular basis of DNA cleavage, which is a fundamental step for genome editing, has not been established. Here, quantum–classical molecular dynamics (MD) and free energy methods are used...
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Principles of target DNA cleavage and the role of Mg2+ in the catalysis of CRISPR–Cas9
PublicationAt the core of the CRISPR–Cas9 genome-editing technology, the endonuclease Cas9 introduces site-specific breaks in DNA. However, precise mechanistic information to ameliorate Cas9 function is still missing. Here, multimicrosecond molecular dynamics, free energy and multiscale simulations are combined with solution NMR and DNA cleavage experiments to resolve the catalytic mechanism of target DNA cleavage. We show that the conformation...
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Establishing the allosteric mechanism in CRISPR‐Cas9
PublicationAllostery is a fundamental property of proteins, which regulates biochemical information transfer between spatially distant sites. Here, we report on the critical role of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in discovering the mechanism of allosteric communication within CRISPR‐Cas9, a leading genome editing machinery with enormous promises for medicine and biotechnology. MD revealed how allostery intervenes during at least three...
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Molecular Dynamics to Predict Cryo-EM: Capturing Transitions and Short-Lived Conformational States of Biomolecules
PublicationSingle-particle cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has revolutionized the field of the structural biology, providing an access to the atomic resolution structures of large biomolecular complexes in their near-native environment. Today’s cryo-EM maps can frequently reach the atomic-level resolution, while often containing a range of resolutions, with conformationally variable regions obtained at 6 Å or worse. Low resolution...
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Flexibility in PAM recognition expands DNA targeting in xCas9
PublicationxCas9 is an evolved variant of the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing system, engineered to improve specificity and reduce undesired off-target effects. How xCas9 expands the DNA targeting capability of Cas9 by recognising a series of alternative protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) sequences while ignoring others is unknown. Here, we elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying xCas9’s expanded PAM recognition and provide critical insights...