3 advantages of a DNA-free genome engineering system
Starting with Cas9 nuclease protein instead of a DNA expression vector has advantages for certain genome editing applications.
No possibility of exogenous DNA integration
- Using purified protein removes the possibility of exogenous DNA incorporation into the host genome, which can have negative effects on experimental data. Edit-R Cas9 Nuclease protein NLS, when used with crRNA and tracrRNA, provides a completely DNA-free system for targeted double strand DNA cleavage.
Transient expression of Cas9 nuclease
- There is some concern that DNA-based Cas9 expression vectors that provide constitutive Cas9 nuclease expression may lead to unintended effects or a higher frequency of off-target editing events. For these reasons, using purified Cas9 protein for transient expression of the nuclease would remove problems associated with constitutive Cas9 expression in cells.
Use of protein eliminates promoter / cell line incompatibility
- The activity of promoter regions used in expression vectors varies from one cell type to another. While one expression vector may work well in cell line "A", it may have low or no activity in cell line "B". These variations will result in differences in CRISPR-Cas9 editing efficiency because there is a correlation between intracellular levels of Cas9 and editing efficiency. With Edit-R Cas9 Nuclease protein NLS, complications of promoter / cell incompatibility are eliminated, and highly efficient gene editing can be performed in many cell types.
Learn the advantages of Edit-r Cas9 Nuclease protein NLS! »
Additional Resources
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CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing products
Optimized tools for high-confidence genome engineering -
CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing Applications
CRISPR-Cas9 systems can be used with custom RNA guides for several gene editing applications