Photosynthetic microorganisms, also known as microalgae, are 'nature's small factories' that absorb carbon dioxide from the air and produce useful substances. However, to maximize their capabilities, precise gene editing technology is essential. Domestic researchers have developed a technique to edit the genes of photosynthetic microorganisms at high efficiency, drawing inspiration from nature.
Kim Hee-sik, head of the Cell Factory Research Center at the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, noted on the 18th that the research team has developed gene-editing technology that can increase the frequency of gene editing in photosynthetic microorganisms by more than 10 times through precise nuclear targeting of CRISPR proteins. The research findings were published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on the 3rd.
Photosynthetic microorganisms are organisms that rapidly absorb carbon dioxide from the air while producing useful substances. Therefore, they are recognized as key elements in climate change response technology and sustainable carbon reduction methods.
However, to effectively utilize photosynthetic microorganisms, gene editing must be performed precisely with gene scissors to maximize carbon dioxide absorption capacity. Gene scissors are a technology that can accurately cut and edit specific regions of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). However, existing CRISPR protein gene scissors technology has struggled to enter the nuclei of photosynthetic microorganisms.
To solve this problem, the researchers developed a new method that mimics the principles of genetic information transfer found in nature. In the natural world, certain organisms have mechanisms to transfer genetic information into the cells of other organisms. A representative example is the soil microorganism Agrobacterium. This microorganism has the ability to send its genetic information into the nuclei of plant cells, where the element known as 'nuclear localization signal (NLS)' plays an important role in the process. Drawing on this point, the researchers developed a new 'DN Cas9' protein by adding NLS to the well-known gene editing protein CRISPR Cas9.
Experimental results using the newly developed gene scissors 'DN Cas9' showed that the gene editing efficiency of the photosynthetic microorganism Chlamydomonas reinhardtii increased more than tenfold compared to before. The research team confirmed that the DN Cas9 protein moves more accurately and quickly into the nuclei of photosynthetic microorganisms and that the protein accumulates in large amounts during the process. The team also succeeded in increasing the frequency of gene editing in other photosynthetic microorganisms, demonstrating that this technology can be applied to various organisms.
Kim Hee-sik stated, 'This research is the first in the world to develop gene editing technology by utilizing the principles of nuclear material delivery in target organisms for gene editing,' adding, 'I expect it will play a pivotal role in advancing the realization of carbon reduction technology based on photosynthetic microorganisms.'
References
PNAS (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2415072122