By incorporating the use of light, a bacterium's viral defense system and a plants ability to detect sunlight, scientists are now able to turn genes on and off. As explained in the article, researchers from Duke University state that this new technology will allow scientists to pick a gene on any chromosome and activate or deactivate it with light. The future outlooks for this technology can allow researchers to further their understanding of gene's functions, potentially create systems for growing tissue, and, with a great sense of optimism, even create science fiction like healing technologies. The new technology works by targeting genes using a genetic engineering system called CRISPR/Cas9. CRISPR was discovered to be the system bacteria use to identify viral invaders, and through the manipulation of researchers, CRISPR can be used to target specific genetic sequences. As mentioned above plants play a major role in this technology. Two specific proteins located in the plants lock together when photons of light are present. The scientists attached the CRISPR system to one of the proteins, and a gene activating protein to the other. While shining blue light on the cells the research team was able to turn many genes on and off. The researchers went on to explain that this new technology will allow them to target specific genes in an easy, fast, and cheap way.I find this article to be very interesting. It amazes me that the researchers were able to mesh differing biological pathways from bacteria and plants together to work as a functional unit. Not to mention that by doing so they could target and regulate specific genes just by using light. With the possibility that this technology may one day grow human tissue it seems like it could be a bright, science fiction like future.
found at: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150209113249.htm
original research: http://www.nature.com/nchembio/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nchembio.1753.html
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