...RNA is a structural and functional component of the ribosome complex and Dr. Steitz quipped that RNA in...development zone so many science and technology companies and start-ups choose to locate there. I made time...was the outdoor market where one can shop for components of traditional Chinese medicine. There were hundreds...Lowe lab have allowed them to begin understanding complex regulation of and by tRNAs and tRNA-derived RNAs...replication with no proteins). The chemistry is complex and this work requires an interdisciplinary team... they do it. Of course, No conference would be complete without CRISPR Michael Terns from of the University...in the ribosome is in a complicated conformation “not like DNA which has a boring structure.” That certainly...

...relatively easily synthesized, must be produced using complex mixtures derived from cells or using live cells...systems do require demanding cell culture conditions compared to other systems. Insect expression systems Insect...Insect cells can also be used to produce complex eukaryotic proteins with the correct post-translational.... These systems enable high expression of very complex, glycosylated proteins that cannot be produced ... expression systems, including the majority of complex post-translational modifications. Extraction and... as plant tissues themselves are biochemically complex. To circumvent these issues, scientists have taken...mammalian cells, and are often capable of modifying complex proteins unlike bacterial systems. Yeast cells,...

...targeting anywhere in an exon. But things get more complicated if you’d like to use homology directed repair...alternative PAM sequences are longer and often more complex than NGG, resulting in lower overall genome frequency...Characterizing xCas9 in mammalian cells Hu et al. compared xCas9 activity with wt SpCas9 in mammalian cells...PAMs averaged 56-91% transcriptional activation compared to the NGG PAM, confirming the flexibility of ...with improved editing at an NGG PAM (69 vs 48%) compared to SpCas9-containing ABE7.10, as well as improvements...NGS) are shown as percentages, with fold changes compared to SpCas9 in parentheses. The development of ...that selecting for one beneficial trait, PAM compatibility, also produced an enzyme with improved on-target...

...realized how perfectly flat the complex is on this surface”….where the complex is docked on the membrane of...using 3D printing technology. The tagline for our company is “…where molecules become real”.  We sometimes... the real thing. Nevertheless, the models are compelling, and I encourage you to hold one. Why do we ... They then start talking to themselves as they compare the features displayed on the model with their ... close to its reported cleavage site on the complementary DNA strand. And this is why we love working ... that was not “poised for cleavage”. Jacob computationally added the non-template strand to the Jinek ...double-stranded DNA, recognize a PAM sequence, allow the complementary base pairing between the guide RNA and the target...

...when studying them since their complete knockdown is lethal. Incomplete or titratable knockdown, however...generations. Figure 1: Mobile-CRISPRi's modular components. Image from Peters et al., 2019 with permission... Top: A Tn7 transposon containing the CRISPRi components and a plasmid with the Tn7 transposition genes...ability to synthesize diaminopimelic acid (DAP), a component of the cell wall. Once in the recipient cell, ...Bottom: An ICE element containing the CRISPRi components is transferred to recipient bacteria by bi-parental...was variable. They measured transfer rates by comparing the number of colonies that grew on a selective... gRNA were more sensitive to trimethoprim when compared to control gRNA treated or untreated bacteria....

... experiments are also generally comparable so the best way to compare costs is to look at the prices of...In today’s post, we will focus on a high-level comparison of popular cloning methodologies, with a special...least 50 cloning reactions. The ligase cost is comparable to that of the restriction enzymes and overall... in a price of a few dollars per reaction. By comparison, Gibson assembly can cost over $15.00 per reaction...more streamlined, because they will come with comprehensive and tested protocols, as well as premixed and..., like Gibson or SLIC, since one can pool the components and define their final order through sequence...Golden Gate assembly allows one to simultaneously complete an ordered set of scarless ligations following...

... millions of people die from cancer-related complications each year. Despite these grim statistics, new...cancer, really? While cancer is extraordinarily complex at the molecular level, at the cellular level there...keeping cells from dividing out of control. One may compare the roles of proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressors...cancer research has focused on picking apart the complex cellular pathways involved in the development of...for this elusive target. Recent improvements in computer modeling have enabled researchers to begin discovering... prevalent in human cancers, and synthesizing compounds to bind specifically to their mutated residues...biggest challenges facing researchers today is the complexity of the pathways involved in the development of...

...antibody-conjugated labeling. Even though the two compounds are completely different in nature (eGFP being a protein...results in a higher-wavelength emission spectrum compared to APC. This happens due to a process called Fluorescence... red laser excites at 640 nm (Table 1), while comparing the two fluorophore's excitation spectra around...think of brightness levels on your smartphone or computer screen), and you should be able to properly label...the same color panel. In this case, make sure to compare the excitation/emission spectra of your reporter...whether and to what extent they overlap. Figure 4 compares the spectra of enhanced GFP (eGFP) and FITC, the...Make sure to check out our blog post on color compensation to learn more about them. Alright, let's build...

...referred to as “complex retroviruses ” (Cullen, 1992) because of their more complicated genomes. Here, ...biology. “Retroviruses” is an umbrella term which encompasses 1.) the gamma-retroviruses — that have been developed...whole family; however, you can use Figure 1 to compare the genomes of these two family members.   ...beginning to realize that the situation is already complex enough that a deep understanding of retroviral ...Because it is made at the same time as the other components of the vector particle, some of the RT protein...In both cases, the lipid membrane is the only component that is not dependent on viral genes. It is derived...Mechanism of action of regulatory proteins encoded by complex retroviruses. Microbiological Reviews, 56(3), 375...

... if you can begin simply and build up to more complexity if needed. And since we live in the digital age... biology and ecology can make for beautifully compelling photos and videos, while molecular, micro, and.... Can you convey enough information to tell a compelling story in an image or do you need a full exhibit...fair, or a semester-long after school program? Comparing your desired outcome to the limitations and potential...expertise needed can increase exponentially with complexity. Podcasts Medium Easy for audience to engage... needed. Traditional media formats are quite competitive while digital can be oversaturated. Transition...Photography Medium (high for microscopy) Visually compelling. Easy to convey a large number of details without...

...of the vector components are HIV-based? A7: No single plasmid contains all the components necessary to ...The components are divided as follows: Transfer vectors contain minimal cis-acting HIV components: LTRs...decreasing the probability of creating replication-competent lentivirus (RCL) in your target cells.  Q4: How...targeted. Q6: Are transfer plasmids replication competent? What is SIN? A6: Most (if not all) Addgene transfer...LTRs, PPT, RRE, and psi packaging signal. Viral components typically total <1.5kb, which is rarely more ...are: 1) the potential generation of replication competent virus [usually HIV-1]; and 2) the potential for...

...intense amount of competition between microorganisms for available resources. This competition drives microbes...antibiotic compounds. In such a case, the microbe itself would be unharmed by the compound it produces...treat infections, we are treating microbes with compounds similar to those they have been battling for centuries...treatment regiment might wipe out bacteria that are completely susceptible to a drug while a full course of ...likely to develop over time. It isn’t feasible to completely eliminate the development of resistance; it’s...hygiene standards. Handwashing is an essential component of preventing infection, as is cleaning and disinfecting...

...the cell must have enough nutrients available to complete the entire round of replication. Initiation is...initiate replication. But pSC101 requires a third component: RepA, a protein encoded by pSC101 itself. RepA... are efficient for the host, as no additional components are necessary. Iterons are not the only tool ...Inc, also encoded by the ColIb-P9 plasmid, is complementary to part of the sequence forming this pseudoknot...restraining further replication.   Figure 3: Comparison of replication regulation mechanisms of stringently...replication. At high copy numbers, RepA proteins form complexes between iterons on different plasmids in a process...propagation by limiting their copy number and compensating for the additional metabolic cost imposed on...

...  Here's what you'll find in this post:  New compact, efficient prime editors A versatile and precise...tape Teaching an old antibody new tricks   New compact, efficient prime editors By Susanna Stroik The ....), while PE6c and PE6d were most efficient at complex edits, such as long or highly structured templates...Phage-assisted evolution and protein engineering yield compact, efficient prime editors. Cell, 186(18), 3983–4002...interchangeable set of fusogenic and targeting components to reprogram delivery vehicles like lentiviral...DIRECTED particles where the fusion and targeting components are interchangeable. Image from Strebinger et...the range of targetable cell types. DIRECTED is compatible with fusogens from different viral families and...

...lab. Iron Chef-style competitions Every few months, we’ll have a cooking competition featuring a selected... eat together every day, sharing ideas for the company, but also talking about sports, movies, and just..., which is either an indication of the stiff competition or says something about my cooking.   This is... to organize. We’ll dedicate a post to these competitions in the future, and hopefully include some of...To-Do list long enough that there is no hope of accomplishing it all. How do we encourage people to take a... Hack Days, and we’ve seen great success at accomplishing “we-should-really-make-time-for-that” type projects...

...based on its library frequency before selection compared to its library frequency after selection. Key ...and easy technique that can be used to generate complex libraries of mutant plasmids ready for deep mutational...libraries, they all have inherent shortcomings compared to one pot saturation mutagenesis. Error-prone...vector with Gibson assembly. While this is a comprehensive mutagenesis method, a drawback to using Gibson...scanning libraries. PFunkel: Of prior existing comprehensive mutagenesis methods, PFunkel offers the best...second universal primer is used to synthesize a complementary mutant strand (step 2 and 3). Then the uracil-labeled...PCR-based approach for generating a customizable comprehensive mutagenesis library that’s ready to be tested...

...likely not a coincidence that the AAV genome is composed of single stranded DNA, which is particularly ... interest, ordering them from a gene synthesis company such as IDT or Genscript, and cloning them sequentially...infection with adeno-cre. AAV-based gene editing compared to CRISPR editing CRISPR, of course, has started...and virtually never exceeds 40%. While this is comparable or better than the efficiency of most current...systems. Ohmori et al 2017 use a dual vector system composed of SaCas9 and a gRNA in one AAV and a repair template...researchers have devised methods to deliver CRISPR components as ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) that can be supplied...2017 recently showed that by delivering CRISPR components as RNPs and delivering two halves of a repair...

...now available. However, it can be difficult to compare their performance, as most translation initiation...directly engages the ribosome for translational complex assembly. PhD student Dejan Gagoski used SITS ...SITS to create the pCell-Free vectors, Gateway-compatible backbones that enable cell-free expression of proteins...-tagged human ORF clones to allow testing and comparison of different cell-free expression systems; the... construct barcoded, locus-specific libraries compatible with Illumina next generation sequencing in order...libraries using a 2-step PCR-based protocol and are compatible with single-end or paired-end read flow cells...21408-21413. PUF Assembly Kit PUF proteins are composed of repeat segments that can be engineered to bind...

... Now that you’ve completed a resource budget, and know how to decide which components are the most critical...an account of the material resources needed to accomplish your science, and can include: equipment, reagents...then start identifying the resources needed to accomplish that goal. 2. Identify the tools in that timeline...research success. If you can get away with using computer modeling and collaborations rather than using ... most start-up P.I.’s. It doesn’t have to be complicated, or difficult to create this list. Start BEFORE...equipment. That’s why a resource budget can help you compare the monetary and empirical value that helps you...from academia altogether and instead started a company around his own research. He was clear on his science...

...Using AAV vectors in complex biological systems can be tricky at best, and downright infuriating at worst...Serotypes Serotype refers to the different protein compositions of AAV capsids, which determine how a virus ...what works great in one system or cell type can completely fail in a different system (Issa et al., 2023...designing and testing your AAV.  Figure 2: Comparison of AAV serotypes 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, and 9 in two ...Taschenberger et al., 2017).     Figure 3: Comparison of two astrocyte selective promoters demonstrating...Konishi, Y., Hosokawa, Y., & Konishi, H. (2014). A comparative analysis of constitutive promoters located in...vector-mediated transduction of the corticospinal tract: Comparison of four promoters. Gene Therapy, 28(1–2), 56–...