Scientists have, for the first time, used an extremely precise genome editing technique called base editing to study gene function in human embryos. They found that a gene called NANOG is essential for forming the future body from an embryo.
"Base editing can precisely change a single nucleotide base pair to another in an entire human genome of around 3 billion base pairs - that’s an incredible feat."-Professor Kathy Niakan, Director, Loke Centre for Trophoblast Research.
Research led by the University of Cambridge Loke Centre for Trophoblast Research, based at PDN, has shown that a genome editing technique can be used to alter a single gene in human embryonic cells, enabling the study of very early human development in unparalleled detail.
The technique, called base editing, is a more precise version of the genome editing technique CRISPR/Cas9. It can change a single nucleotide base pair - the basic building block of DNA - within a human genome of approximately 3 billion base pairs.
Using base editing, the researchers blocked a gene called NANOG in very early-stage human embryos, and found that the cells of the early embryo could not develop into more specialised pluripotent cells called the epiblast - which later form the body.
The results reveal the crucial role of NANOG in the development of human embryos, and helps scientists better understand how human embryos develop in the first few days after an egg is fertilised.
Read the article in full on the University of Cambridge news site
