
Gene-edited cattle have a major screwup in their DNA - jelliclesfarm
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/614235/recombinetics-gene-edited-hornless-cattle-major-dna-screwup/
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rolph
DNA is only one of the formats to convey the information. there somewhat more
to the picture than the sequence of base pairs in a region of DNA. analogy- we
have so far decyphered binary code and declared that we may now inject bytes
into the data structure. we actually know very little about how the DNA
sequence and structural topology interacts with the rest of biology. not only
do we have the genome, but we have the transcriptome, the proteome, and the
exocyteome.

those are just the information systems that have been recognized and
characterized in part. Virus may actually be a selected form of horizontal
gene transfer that has escaped the selective factors constraining it and now
has a destiny of its own.

In short we need to actually know what we are doing before we tinker with our
own information systems. I suppose slaughter bound livestock are a better
place to start as they are being raised to be eaten and do not have to be
retired to convalescent facility for retired research animals to live as an
abberent organism. ethics is a tough nut for sure, but making a major mistake
that ends up escaping sequestration is a lot tougher.

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gus_massa
How is this related to the problem in the article? They insertes successfully
some gene, but they also inserted more genes by mistake. The additional genes
are the problem, not something unrelated like the "structural topology".

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rolph
structural topology is highly related to gene function, and also is part of
what is being manipulated during the process. please tell me about trans-
factors or cis- elements. please tell me about how we may choose one
recognition sequence region from another when they are identical base pair
sequences but are many Kb.p.'s up or downstream of the desired target
sequence.

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gus_massa
They used a plasmid. The plasmid had the gene they wanted and some gene to
resist antibiotics. Both got copied. No topological problems.

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rolph
i am acutely aware of what a plasmid is and how it is used. when you employ
plasmid transfection there is at least 1000 iterations of the plasmid usually
much more. the problem is topological. there is sequence interaction occuring
at homologous non target sequences with topological state that allows access
to the non target sequence.

If you think there is a basis for the argument that topology has nothing to do
with it then you should write a grant proposal and experimental thesis. That
thesis, if it passes preliminary peer review would be worth a PhD, as well as
being a likely candidate for the nobel prize should it be independently
confirmed. Such a discovery would turn Molecular Biology on its head.

BTW the modified gene [as in 1 gene per plasmid] is not copied, it is actually
inserted [spliced] into the strand, it is not copied, and this is a VERY
topologically dependent process.

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jelliclesfarm
Question: shouldn’t we work towards gene editing ourselves?

Isn’t that more logical?

