Bridge Recombinase Mechanism (BRM) utilizes mobile genetic elements or “jumping genes”, which cut and paste themselves into genomes, performing on-the-go DNA manipulation and are present in all forms of life.
- Jumping Genes are small DNA segments with a recombinase enzyme along with extra DNA segments at the ends of the genes that binds and manipulates DNA.
- Gene editing is alteration of genetic material of a living organism by inserting, replacing, or deleting a DNA sequence, with the aim of improving some characteristic of a plant/ animal or correcting a genetic disorder.
About BRM
- Extra DNA at the ends of jumping genes gets joined together and converts the DNA double helix structure into a single-stranded RNA molecule.
- This bridge RNA molecule can bind to two DNA segments (donor and target), allowing for flexible DNA modifications.
- Donor and target loop can be programmed independently, offering great flexibility in inserting or recombining sequences to DNA.
Significance of BRM
- It will allow researchers to rearrange, recombine, invert, duplicate, move, and perform other editing operations on very long DNA sequences.
- It can lead to development of more advanced gene editing therapeutics and treatments for diseases.
Other Gene-editing technologies
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