Scientists mapped out the three-dimensional structure of one of the smallest known CRISPR-Cas13 systems then used that knowledge to modify its structure and improve its accuracy.
Small and precise: These are the ideal characteristics for CRISPR systems, the Nobel-prize winning technology used to edit nucleic acids like RNA and DNA.
Unlike CRISPR systems associated with the Cas9 protein -- which generally targets DNA -- Cas13-associated systems target RNA, the intermediary"instruction manual" that translates the genetic information encoded in DNA into a blueprint for assembling proteins. The researchers used a cryo-electron microscope to map the structure of the CRISPR system, placing the molecule on a thin layer of ice and shooting a beam of electrons through it to generate data that was then processed into a detailed, three-dimensional model. The results took them by surprise."We found this system deploys a mechanism that's different from that of other proteins in the Cas13 family," Yang Gao said.
"We had to do a lot of troubleshooting to make the protein and RNA complex more stable, so we could map it," Deng said.
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