Genome editing technology builds biological "valve" in DNA to directly form cellular information flow

DNA valves control DNA molecular processes

The research, now published in the journal Nature Communications, provides a new perspective on how information is encoded in DNA and provides new tools for building sustainable biotechnology

Although invisible to the naked eye, microbes are integral to our survival

Lead author Matthew Tarnowski, a PhD student at Bristol's School of Biological Sciences, said: "Understanding the microbial world is tricky

To address this question, the University of Bristol team focused on how the information encoded in DNA is read and, in particular, how the cellular processes along the DNA are controlled

Taking inspiration from nature, knowing that flow on DNA is often complex and intertwined, the team focused on how to regulate the flow of DNA from one region to another by creating "valves"

Senior author Dr Thomas Gorochowski, University of Bristol Royal Society Research Fellow, said: "Similar to the valves that control the speed of fluids through pipes, these valves determine the flow of molecular processes in DNA

Designing new biological parts often takes a significant amount of time

Dr Gorochowski added: "Utilizing the unique properties of nanopore sequencing is a necessary step in unlocking our ability to efficiently design biological valves

The authors further show how valves can be used to regulate other biological components in cells, opening avenues for the future to simultaneously control many genes and complex genome editing

Reference: "Massively parallel characterization of engineered transcript isoforms using direct RNA sequencing" by Matthew J.