Genetic Engineering, The Crispr/Cas9 System And Its Operation

Genetic engineering, the CRISPR/CAS9 system and its operation

During the beginning of the genetic edition we have been able to see great advances, the tests have given results of great magnitude and an accelerated process of changes in the DNA, each new discovery is learning. The different forms of genetic editing have led some more complete methods, others faster. In the case of this research, the CRISPR/CAS9 system will be studied, a genome editing technique, but before reaching the given definition, some concepts need to be known.

People know deoxyribonucleic acid as DNA without taking into account their definition given by the "National Institute for Human Genome Research" that says: "Molecule called deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which contains the biological instructions that make each species something something somethingunique. DNA, are the instructions that pass from adult organisms to their descendants during reproduction.”, RNA is ribonucleic acid that is part of the DNA, according to DR research.Leslie g. backed by the "National Institute for Human Genome Research" says "ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a molecule similar to that of DNA. Unlike DNA, RNA is simple chain." 

Today, there are a lot of genetic diseases, some cause millions of deaths a year such as HIV, and others, such as daltonism and hemophilia, they greatly impact people’s quality of life.

According to WHO. Also, it is estimated that more than 35 million people have died for this cause, which is a very noticeable problem.

Therefore, genetic therapies (treatments that are based on gene edition) are being created to prevent and treat these diseases based on human DNA such as cystic fibrosis and diabetes.

On the other hand, according to the National Genome Research Institute, every year more than two million Americans have serious side effects due to incorrectly prescribed medicines, and the worst thing is that more than 100,000 of these die. For this reason, and thanks to the deep research in genetic engineering, it has begun to discover in the human genome how each person reacts differently to a medicine, this type of research is called pharmacogenetics.

This work will present the different purposes of genetic engineering today in medicine and agriculture, so it is invited to continue reading this document in which it will be discussed thoroughly about genetic engineering and its more systemModern … the CRISPR/CAS9.

To start with the most important information of this document, a glossary will be presented with the most transcendental content:

• DNA: nucleic deoxyribus acid
• RNA: ribonucleic acid
• ALLELO: According to the National Institute for Human Genome Research: “It is each of the two or more versions of a gene. An individual inherits two alleles for each gene, one from the father and the other of the mother. The alleles are in the same position within the homologous chromosomes ”. (NHGRI, 2017).
• Genotype: According to the National Institute of Human Genome Research: “It is an individual’s collection of genes. The term can also refer to the two alleles inherited from a particular gene. The genotype is expressed when the information encoded in the DNA of the genes is used to make protein and RNA molecules. The genotype expression contributes to the observable features of the individual, which is called the phenotype ". (NHGRI, 2017).
• Phenotype: According to the National Institute of Human Genome Research: “The phenotype constitutes the observable features of an individual, such as height, eye color, and the blood group. The genetic contribution to the phenotype is called genotype. Some features are largely determined by the genotype, while other traits are largely determined by environmental factors ”. (NHGRI, 2017).
• Nucleotide: According to the National Institute for Human Genome Research, a nucleotide is: “The basic piece of nucleic acids. RNA and DNA are polymers formed by long nucleotide chains. A nucleotide is formed by a sugar molecule (ribose in RNA or deoxyribose in DNA) together with a phosphate group and a nitrogen base. The bases used in DNA are adenine (a), cytosine (c), guanine (g) and timina (t). In RNA, the Uracil Base (U) occupies the place of timina ”. (NHGRI, 2017).
• Protein: According to the National Institute for Human Genome Research, “they are an important class of molecules found in all living cells. A protein consists of one or more long amino acid chains, whose sequence corresponds to the DNA sequence of the gene that encodes it. Proteins perform a variety of functions in the cell, including structural (cytoskeleton), mechanics (muscle), biochemistry (enzymes), and cell signaling (hormones) ”. (NHGRI, 2017).
• Amino acid: they are a set of 20 different types of molecules and constitute the basic parts to build proteins. (NHGRI, 2017).
• CRISPR: Short palindromic repetitions grouped and regularly interspected. This is an existing space in the DNA of the bacteria, in which, they keep a copy of the DNA of the virus that the infectious (this system will be explained in depth later in the text)
• CAS9: Protein found in the body of bacteria, is responsible for copying, cutting and paste DNA sequences in the CRISPR/CAS9 system9.

Already with this information, the specific topic can be presented, the CRISPR/CAS9 system, but before doing that, we will talk a little about the history of genetic engineering.

Around 1960, scientists began bombing plants with radiation to see the change that occurred, and for perhaps, find a modified plant that randomly has benefits for humanity.

In 1970, genetic information began to inject bacteria, plants and animals, to observe their modifications and contribute to the creation of products that would help agriculture, medicine, etc.

In 1974 the first genetically modified animal was born. The laboratory mouse, saving millions of lives thanks to the medical tests performed on them.

Around 1990, a very interesting progress was made in human genetic modification, since genetic information from a father and a mother was injected into a donated ovule, so the first children were created with the genetic code of 3 parents.

In 1994, the first genetically modified food went on sale, the savior tomatoNormal tomato.

These are some of the most relevant data in genetic engineering before the creation of the most powerful tool in this branch of biology, the CRISPR/CAS9 system9.