Post by account_disabled on Feb 28, 2024 8:47:17 GMT
The same method would work for percent of insects, the researchers say.
Mutant cockroaches ? It sounds like something out of a horror movie, but it could have a wide range of applications for researching the vast biodiversity of insects in gene editing.
That's because scientists at Kyoto University in Japan edited cockroach genes using CRISPR-Cas for the first time, according to a report in ScienceDaily.
Their new study could open the door to gene editing in several other insects, leading to potential applications in pest control, evolutionary biology and other fields.
Unlocking CRISPR for % of insects
In fact, according to the researchers, their new gene-editing method is also applicable to " percent of insects," meaning that a large number of insects that were previously inacce C Level Executive List ssible to CRISPR researchers can now be used for investigation.
In a new paper published in Cell Reports Methods, researchers describe how they produced the world's first "knockout cockroaches"—that is, the first gene-inactivated cockroaches.
CRISPR is a method that until now has mainly been used to research disease treatments and prevention methods. It has been used experimentally, for example, to develop mosquitoes that spread antimalarial genes. Researchers artificially introduce DNA sequences into an organism to manipulate selected locations in its genome.
Until now, CRISPR was not possible in cockroaches and other insects because their embryos were inaccessible. "In a sense, insect researchers have been freed from the hassle of egg injections," explained the study's lead author, Takaaki Daimon of Kyoto University. «We can now edit insect genomes more freely and at will. "In principle, this method should work for more than % of insect species."
Generational mutations
Recently, scientists have relied on microinjection of materials into early insect embryos, which is incredibly challenging and has not been possible in a large number of species. Cockroaches , for example, protect their embryos with hard shells, making them inaccessible to scientists for these purposes.
To overcome this problem, the researchers pioneered a method they call "direct parental" CRISPR (DIPA-CRISPR), in which they inject genetic materials directly into adult female cockroaches. In their paper, they demonstrate how injected cockroaches and beetles produced “mutated” offspring. The cockroach's offspring also passed on the artificial mutations to the next generation.
During their experiments, the researchers also produced "knocker" beetles with genes that were artificially inserted into their DNA. Their results open a huge avenue of research in the incredibly diverse world of insects, which could have a wide range of applications in agriculture, pest control and even the prevention of deadly diseases spread by insects.
Mutant cockroaches ? It sounds like something out of a horror movie, but it could have a wide range of applications for researching the vast biodiversity of insects in gene editing.
That's because scientists at Kyoto University in Japan edited cockroach genes using CRISPR-Cas for the first time, according to a report in ScienceDaily.
Their new study could open the door to gene editing in several other insects, leading to potential applications in pest control, evolutionary biology and other fields.
Unlocking CRISPR for % of insects
In fact, according to the researchers, their new gene-editing method is also applicable to " percent of insects," meaning that a large number of insects that were previously inacce C Level Executive List ssible to CRISPR researchers can now be used for investigation.
In a new paper published in Cell Reports Methods, researchers describe how they produced the world's first "knockout cockroaches"—that is, the first gene-inactivated cockroaches.
CRISPR is a method that until now has mainly been used to research disease treatments and prevention methods. It has been used experimentally, for example, to develop mosquitoes that spread antimalarial genes. Researchers artificially introduce DNA sequences into an organism to manipulate selected locations in its genome.
Until now, CRISPR was not possible in cockroaches and other insects because their embryos were inaccessible. "In a sense, insect researchers have been freed from the hassle of egg injections," explained the study's lead author, Takaaki Daimon of Kyoto University. «We can now edit insect genomes more freely and at will. "In principle, this method should work for more than % of insect species."
Generational mutations
Recently, scientists have relied on microinjection of materials into early insect embryos, which is incredibly challenging and has not been possible in a large number of species. Cockroaches , for example, protect their embryos with hard shells, making them inaccessible to scientists for these purposes.
To overcome this problem, the researchers pioneered a method they call "direct parental" CRISPR (DIPA-CRISPR), in which they inject genetic materials directly into adult female cockroaches. In their paper, they demonstrate how injected cockroaches and beetles produced “mutated” offspring. The cockroach's offspring also passed on the artificial mutations to the next generation.
During their experiments, the researchers also produced "knocker" beetles with genes that were artificially inserted into their DNA. Their results open a huge avenue of research in the incredibly diverse world of insects, which could have a wide range of applications in agriculture, pest control and even the prevention of deadly diseases spread by insects.