Designer recombinases: Tools to cut and paste genomic DNA sequences.
Extract: Gene therapy is still very much in its infancy. In future, we are likely to see more and more sophisticated intervention in order to repair or replace faulty genes, or to introduce beneficial new genes. Site-specific recombinases have the potential to be engineered into tools for "cut and paste" genome editing. Our paper in PNAS shows how this might be done. Site-specific recombinases rearrange DNA sequences, by catalyzing cleavage and rejoining of DNA strands at specific sites to which they bind. They can promote excision, integration, or orientation inversion of DNA segments bounded by the sites. They are now used extensively in mammals and other eukaryotes, for experimental research or projected gene therapy and biotechnology applications. The most commonly used enzymes are Cre and FLP, both "tyrosine recombinases" (so-called because the nucleophilic residue that breaks the DNA strands is a tyrosine), but members of another, unrelated "serine recombinase" family also function in eukaryotes.
Stark
W Marshall
WM
Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, 56 Dumbarton Road, Glasgow G11 6NU, Scotland, U.K.
Akopian
Aram
A