Review examines programmable enzymes for large DNA insertion
A review in Nature Reviews Genetics examines recent advances in recombinases, retrotransposons and CRISPR-associated transposases for inserting kilobase-scale DNA sequences into genomes. Computational genome mining has accelerated discovery of enzymes with novel properties. Directed evolution and rational engineering are enabling optimization of these systems for genome modification. The ability to write entire genes or large regions into the genome could transform treatment of genetically heterogeneous disorders, where numerous pathogenic variants underlie a common disease.
The approaches could benefit patients with conditions caused by multiple different mutations in a single gene.
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