New CRISPR Technique Switches Genes On Without Cutting DNA
CRISPR is best known for cutting and changing DNA. Now, researchers are using the technology in a different way: controlling whether genes are active without altering the genetic sequence itself. Scientists from UNSW Sydney and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital used a modified CRISPR system to remove DNA methylation from genes that produce fetal hemoglobin. Once the methyl groups were removed, the previously silenced genes switched back on. Adding the methyl groups again reduced their activity. The findings show how [more…]