In a first for the genetic toolset CRISPR, a recently discovered protein has been found to act as a kind of multipurpose self-destruct system for bacteria, capable of degrading single-stranded RNA and single- and double-stranded DNA.
The discovery holds potential for the development of new inexpensive and highly sensitive at-home diagnostic tests for a range of infectious diseases, including COVID-19, influenza, Ebola and Zika, according to the authors of a new study.
Using the high-resolution imaging technique cryo-EM, the team discovered that when this protein, named Cas12a2, binds to a specific sequence of genetic material from a potentially dangerous virus, called a target RNA, a side portion of Cas12a2 swings out to reveal an active site.
Then the active site starts to indiscriminately cut any genetic material it comes into contact with. The researchers discovered that, with a single mutation to the Cas12a2 protein, the active site degrades only single-stranded DNA – a feature especially useful in developing new diagnostics tailored for any of a wide range of viruses.
A test based on this technology could theoretically combine the best features of PCR-based tests that detect genetic material from a virus (high sensitivity, high accuracy and the ability to detect an active infection) with the best features of rapid at-home diagnostic tests.
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