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University of Arkansas researchers have developed an efficient tool for controlling genes in methanogens, a finding that could advance research in fields as diverse as climate change and biofuel production.
The tool, a variation of the CRISPR-Cas9 system, was used to repress targeted gene functions in methanogens without altering any DNA in the gene, said Ahmed Dhamad, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Biological Sciences and author, along with associate professor Daniel Lessner, of the study published in the journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
Associated journal article: Ahmed E. Dhamad, Daniel J. Lessner (2020). “A CRISPRi-dCas9 system for archaea and its use to examine gene function during nitrogen fixation by Methanosarcina acetivorans.” Applied and Environmental Microbiology Aug 2020, AEM.01402-20; DOI: 10.1128/AEM.01402-20
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