Turns out, altering bacteria from within could be the solution to antibiotic resistance.
to alter bacterial defense mechanisms and edit their genomes selectively in complex environments. Significantly, the novel approach may help address the pressing issue of antibiotic resistance.is a gene-editing tool that allows scientists to make precise cut-and-paste edits to the genomes of living cells. In nature, the CRISPR system evolved as a bacterial defense mechanism against viruses. Upon encountering a viral infection, the bacterium uses this machinery to chop up the invading viral DNA.
"Viruses are very good at delivering payloads. Here, we use a bacterial virus, a bacteriophage, to deliver CRISPR to bacteria, which is ironic because bacteria normally use CRISPR to kill viruses. The virus, in this case, targets E. coli by delivering DNA to it. It's like using a virus as a syringe," said Professor Rodolphe Barrangou, the study's corresponding author.
In a lab test, the engineered bacteriophages, called T7 and lambda, were tasked to deliver fluorescent genes to E. coli and alter their resistance to an antibiotic. And sure enough, the bacteria glowed and showedNext, researchers used lambda phage to deliver a cytosine base editor to the bacterial host. This editor tool doesn't cut the target's DNA as done by CRISPR but changes just one letter in the sequence of DNA.
In the final test, researchers tested the CRISPR-Cas system in a simulated natural environment. They used a fabricated ecosystem by loading a tank with synthetic soil made of sand and quartz, some liquid, and three different types of bacteria, including E. coli.The goal was to test how well the phages could hunt down their targets in a more realistic environment and whether they could single out the E. coli from the other species.
Researchers believe the study shows the next chapter of CRISPR-Cas delivery in complex environments. With further work, the technique could eventually find use in sustainable agriculture by manipulating large-scale gene editing in soil bacteria.
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