Retrons and their applications in genome engineering
Retrons and their applications in genome engineering
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DOI：
10.1093/nar/gkz865
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发表时间：
2019-12-02
影响因子：
14.9
通讯作者：
Finkelstein, Ilya J.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Simon, Anna J.;Ellington, Andrew D.;Finkelstein, Ilya J.
精确的基因组编辑技术已经改变了现代生物学。这些技术源于天然生物机器的重定向，例如用于重组工程的λ噬菌体蛋白和用于引发位点特异性双链断裂的CRISPR核酸酶。不太为人所知的是一类广泛分布的细菌逆转录元件，逆转录子，它利用专门的逆转录酶产生非编码细胞内DNA。Retrons的自然功能和遗传传递机制仍然是个谜。然而，最近的研究已经利用它们原位产生DNA的能力进行基因组编辑和进化。本文综述了retron的生物学和功能，在自然和合成的背景下。我们还强调了需要进一步研究的领域，以推进基于逆转录的精确基因组编辑平台。
Precision genome editing technologies have transformed modern biology. These technologies have arisen from the redirection of natural biological machinery, such as bacteriophage lambda proteins for recombineering and CRISPR nucleases for eliciting site-specific double-strand breaks. Less well-known is a widely distributed class of bacterial retroelements, retrons, that employ specialized reverse transcriptases to produce noncoding intracellular DNAs. Retrons' natural function and mechanism of genetic transmission have remained enigmatic. However, recent studies have harnessed their ability to produce DNA in situ for genome editing and evolution. This review describes retron biology and function in both natural and synthetic contexts. We also highlight areas that require further study to advance retron-based precision genome editing platforms.