scholarly journals Improving Precise CRISPR Genome Editing by Small Molecules: Is there a Magic Potion?

Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 1318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadja Bischoff ◽  
Sandra Wimberger ◽  
Marcello Maresca ◽  
Cord Brakebusch

Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) genome editing has become a standard method in molecular biology, for the establishment of genetically modified cellular and animal models, for the identification and validation of drug targets in animals, and is heavily tested for use in gene therapy of humans. While the efficiency of CRISPR mediated gene targeting is much higher than of classical targeted mutagenesis, the efficiency of CRISPR genome editing to introduce defined changes into the genome is still low. Overcoming this problem will have a great impact on the use of CRISPR genome editing in academic and industrial research and the clinic. This review will present efforts to achieve this goal by small molecules, which modify the DNA repair mechanisms to facilitate the precise alteration of the genome.

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 504
Author(s):  
Takayuki Saitoh ◽  
Tsukasa Oda

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable plasma cell malignancy characterized by genomic instability. MM cells present various forms of genetic instability, including chromosomal instability, microsatellite instability, and base-pair alterations, as well as changes in chromosome number. The tumor microenvironment and an abnormal DNA repair function affect genetic instability in this disease. In addition, states of the tumor microenvironment itself, such as inflammation and hypoxia, influence the DNA damage response, which includes DNA repair mechanisms, cell cycle checkpoints, and apoptotic pathways. Unrepaired DNA damage in tumor cells has been shown to exacerbate genomic instability and aberrant features that enable MM progression and drug resistance. This review provides an overview of the DNA repair pathways, with a special focus on their function in MM, and discusses the role of the tumor microenvironment in governing DNA repair mechanisms.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 6
Author(s):  
Ievgeniia Gazo ◽  
Roman Franěk ◽  
Radek Šindelka ◽  
Ievgen Lebeda ◽  
Sahana Shivaramu ◽  
...  

DNA damage caused by exogenous or endogenous factors is a common challenge for developing fish embryos. DNA damage repair (DDR) pathways help organisms minimize adverse effects of DNA alterations. In terms of DNA repair mechanisms, sturgeons represent a particularly interesting model due to their exceptional genome plasticity. Sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) is a relatively small species of sturgeon. The goal of this study was to assess the sensitivity of sterlet embryos to model genotoxicants (camptothecin, etoposide, and benzo[a]pyrene), and to assess DDR responses. We assessed the effects of genotoxicants on embryo survival, hatching rate, DNA fragmentation, gene expression, and phosphorylation of H2AX and ATM kinase. Exposure of sterlet embryos to 1 µM benzo[a]pyrene induced low levels of DNA damage accompanied by ATM phosphorylation and xpc gene expression. Conversely, 20 µM etoposide exposure induced DNA damage without activation of known DDR pathways. Effects of 10 nM camptothecin on embryo development were stage-specific, with early stages, before gastrulation, being most sensitive. Overall, this study provides foundational information for future investigation of sterlet DDR pathways.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (10) ◽  
pp. e1055 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saliou Fall ◽  
Anne Mercier ◽  
Franck Bertolla ◽  
Alexandra Calteau ◽  
Laurent Gueguen ◽  
...  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document