Gene Editing Through CRISPR: A Process That Could Revolutionize The Future of Climate Change
It all started in 1987 when Yoshizumi Ishino and his crew discovered repeating sequences in E-Coli bacteria
By Bianca Gibbs
Now, we have expanded on the findings of Yoshizumi Ishino and his crew to see how CRISPR could be used to revolutionize gene editing and its future.
This was only the beginning! Today, CRISPR has many uses and many different problems it can solve, such as genetic diseases and climate change.
Carbon capture is the process of capturing and/or storing carbon dioxide. Many startups use carbon capture to fight climate change, but there are many ways to do it. In this article, I’ll be talking about how we can use gene editing to enhance carbon capture.
What is Gene Editing and How Does It Work?
Gene editing is the process of altering the DNA of something to change the way that it works. This process can be done in anything that carries DNA, such as humans, plants, and animals. For example, food can be genetically altered to taste better, grow faster and bigger, and be more nutritious.
CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) was found in bacteria and is used as a method of gene editing today. By using the protein Cas9, it can cut out a specific piece of DNA and/or replace it with another piece. CRISPR technology can not only be used to improve what we have now but can be used to save lives (ex: cure deadly genetic diseases through gene editing).
Although the process of gene editing may seem difficult, the process is relatively simple. First off, you should pick which part of the DNA you would like to edit (depending on what you want the change to do) and create a guide RNA (gRNA) that matches the DNA you would like to alter. The gRNA acts as a guide for CRISPR-Cas9 so it can find where to edit the DNA.
The Cas9 protein will then go ahead and cut the DNA where the gRNA had brought it. After this happens, the gene can either be modified with a new piece of DNA (to change the function of the gene) or it can be left the way it is to disable the gene (to stop it from working). Once you have done this, you have successfully completed a gene editing procedure!
How Can Gene Editing Be Used Here?
In this case, gene editing can be used to modify the genes of plants (such as forest trees, crops, seagrasses, etc.) to allow them to capture and/or store more Carbon Dioxide (CO2). There are many ways we can edit the plants to capture more carbon (such as enhancing root systems, enhancing carbon capture genes, etc.), but most of them will work to help with carbon capture.
How can we use gene editing to enhance carbon capture in plants?
To start with any gene editing procedure, you first need to start by finding the right guide RNA (gRNA), DNA replacement, and Cas9 protein. Each of these will be different depending on what you want to edit (ex: a type of plant) and what you want to edit the plant to do (ex: capture more carbon).
Next is to design the gRNA. The gRNA can be in the form of a single gRNA (sgRNA) or a 2 part gRNA, which includes crRNA and tracrRNA. The only difference between the two forms of gRNA is how they work. The sgRNA works on its own to complete some of the tasks needed for the gRNA to work (the Cas9 protein does most of the work and is a necessary part for editing the DNA) and the crRNA (CRISPR RNA) and the tracrRNA (trans-activating RNA) work together to guide the Cas9 protein, which can help to enhance specificity.
Now, you must deliver the Cas9 protein and the gRNA to the part of the DNA which you chose. To do this, you must bind the Cas9 to the gRNA molecule to form a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex. This complex is crucial for CRISPR, as the gRNA works to target specific sequences in DNA and the Cas9 cuts the DNA at a specific spot.
Once the Cas9 protein cuts the DNA, it will naturally repair itself through non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), or homology-directed repair (HDR), which is when scientists manipulate the repair of the DNA to change its function. This can be done through harsh chemical exposure, bombardment with radiation, or any other way that can create mutations in the gene.
Now the question is, is this even possible? Although it may seem like a crazy idea, it is possible! There are many startups out there that are already working on this idea. Let’s take the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) as an example:
The researchers at the IGI are currently working on a 3-year project (started in 2022) to edit and create new crops that can capture and store much more carbon dioxide than now. Their main goal is to experiment to find what works best and to gain further knowledge on our soil.
TDLR
Carbon capture has existed for many years, but we are still only at the beginning of research on different ways it can be used in plants to help our climate. Gene editing through CRISPR is one way that we can work to reduce and reverse climate change. Many institutions such as the Innovative Genomics Institute have shown us that using plants to help our planet is truly possible with the right patience and motivation to do so.
