Gene expression
Transfected Cell Arrays : expressing (or knocking down) the human genome
For the past 25 years, mammalian cell transfections have usually been performed by adding DNA to adherent cells. In 2001, David Sabatini and Junaid Ziauddin turned this approach upside down by adding cells to adherent DNA, opening the door to variety of exciting applications. [More]
Allosteric ribozymes: freedom of expression
A long-standing aim of biotechnology has been the tight, exogenous control of gene expression. Despite the development of several engineered systems that regulate transcription in an inducible manner, so far it has not been possible to control translation in a similar fashion. Thanks to the advent of Sum allosteric ribozymes, this may be about to change, opening the door to a host of new applications that avoid many of the complications and challenges of fine-tuning gene expression at the DNA level.
As the name suggests, allosteric ribozymes are RNA enzymes capable of sensing small-molecule ligands. In response to binding an effector molecule, the activity of an allosteric ribozyme can either be enhanced or inhibited, depending on its structure and design.
