The CRISPR system targets DNA sequences for precisely cutting DNA and then letting natural DNA repair processes take over.
<h3>What is the CRISPR system?</h3>
CRISPR/Cas9 edits genes by accurately slicing DNA, which is then repaired by the body's mechanisms. The Cas9 enzyme and a guide RNA make up the system's two components. CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, which some bacterial species use as a component of their antiviral defenses. Co-founder Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier and a team of researchers figured out how to employ this technology as a gene-editing tool (Jinek, et al. Science 2012) An enzyme known as a CRISPR-associated (Cas) endonuclease that functions as a "molecular scissors" to cut DNA where a guide specifies RNA. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the genetic informational molecule that most organisms use to store the "instructions for life". Living beings employ ribonucleic acid (RNA), a molecule related to DNA, for a variety of tasks, including carrying and reading the DNA "instructions." RNA molecules known as "guide RNA" (gRNA) attach to Cas9.
Because natural selection acts directly only on phenotypes, more genetic variation within a population usually enables more phenotypic variation. Some new alleles increase an organism's ability to survive and reproduce, which then ensures the survival of the allele in the population.
