Scientists Create New Method for Changing the Genes of Cockroaches
2022-05-23
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1Researchers have developed a new method for making changes to the genes of insects called cockroaches.
2The scientists said the method could be an important step.
3They said it could help remove barriers to researching and changing, or editing, genes of all kinds of insects.
4The technology used in the new method is called CRISPR/Cas-9.
5The CRISPR tool makes it possible for scientists to change DNA by adding or taking away parts of the DNA of living cells.
6DNA is deoxyribonucleic acid.
7It is a main substance that carries genetic information in the cells of living things.
8CRISPR technology has been used to carry out research and create possible treatments for genetic diseases affecting humans.
9In 2020, two women were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing the CRISPR/Cas-9 tool.
10The method has also been used to target and change genes in animals and insects.
11Last year, for example, scientists announced they had used the CRISPR/Cas-9 method to block the ability of mosquitos to identify human targets.
12The scientists involved in the new study also used the CRISPR/Cas-9 tool.
13But they developed a new process to improve their research for use with many kinds of insects.
14In the past, researchers performing gene editing on insects injected genetically edited materials directly into developing embryos.
15But the new method involves injecting the materials into female adults as early eggs are still developing.
16The researchers call their new method "direct parental" and describe it as "simple and efficient."
17Takaaki Daimon of Japan's Kyoto University helped lead the research and was the lead writer of the study.
18He said in a statement that with the new method, "researchers have been freed from the annoyance of egg injections."
19Daimon added that the process his team invented simplifies and speeds up gene editing in insects.
20"We can now edit insect genomes more freely and at will. In principle, this method should work for more than 90 percent of insect species," he said.
21The results recently appeared in the publication Cell Reports Methods.
22The researchers said cockroaches and many other kinds of insects have unusual reproductive systems.
23This limits the way the CRISPR editing technology can be used on them.
24Past attempts that sought to edit the genes of cockroaches failed.
25The team said it solved the problem by creating a method that does not require CRISPR materials to be injected into early embryos.
26The result successfully created so-called "knockout" cockroaches.
27The term "knockout" is used by scientists to describe organisms that have had all or part of a gene removed or inactivated by genetic engineering.
28In addition, the scientists tested their method on red flour beetles.
29Those experiments produced results more than 50 percent of the time, the team reported in the study.
30The researchers said their results demonstrated that the new method can be used in research involving many kinds of insects.
31But they noted the process will not work on some kinds of insects that have more complex reproductive systems, such as fruit flies.
32The team said their method does not require costly equipment, complex experimental setups or highly skilled laboratory workers.
33Daimon said, "These problems with (traditional) methods have plagued researchers who wish to perform genome editing on a wide variety of insect species."
34I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Researchers have developed a new method for making changes to the genes of insects called cockroaches. 2The scientists said the method could be an important step. They said it could help remove barriers to researching and changing, or editing, genes of all kinds of insects. 3The technology used in the new method is called CRISPR/Cas-9. The CRISPR tool makes it possible for scientists to change DNA by adding or taking away parts of the DNA of living cells. DNA is deoxyribonucleic acid. It is a main substance that carries genetic information in the cells of living things. 4CRISPR technology has been used to carry out research and create possible treatments for genetic diseases affecting humans. In 2020, two women were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing the CRISPR/Cas-9 tool. 5The method has also been used to target and change genes in animals and insects. Last year, for example, scientists announced they had used the CRISPR/Cas-9 method to block the ability of mosquitos to identify human targets. 6The scientists involved in the new study also used the CRISPR/Cas-9 tool. But they developed a new process to improve their research for use with many kinds of insects. 7In the past, researchers performing gene editing on insects injected genetically edited materials directly into developing embryos. But the new method involves injecting the materials into female adults as early eggs are still developing. 8The researchers call their new method "direct parental" and describe it as "simple and efficient." 9Takaaki Daimon of Japan's Kyoto University helped lead the research and was the lead writer of the study. He said in a statement that with the new method, "researchers have been freed from the annoyance of egg injections." 10Daimon added that the process his team invented simplifies and speeds up gene editing in insects. "We can now edit insect genomes more freely and at will. In principle, this method should work for more than 90 percent of insect species," he said. 11The results recently appeared in the publication Cell Reports Methods. 12The researchers said cockroaches and many other kinds of insects have unusual reproductive systems. This limits the way the CRISPR editing technology can be used on them. Past attempts that sought to edit the genes of cockroaches failed. 13The team said it solved the problem by creating a method that does not require CRISPR materials to be injected into early embryos. 14The result successfully created so-called "knockout" cockroaches. The term "knockout" is used by scientists to describe organisms that have had all or part of a gene removed or inactivated by genetic engineering. 15In addition, the scientists tested their method on red flour beetles. Those experiments produced results more than 50 percent of the time, the team reported in the study. 16The researchers said their results demonstrated that the new method can be used in research involving many kinds of insects. But they noted the process will not work on some kinds of insects that have more complex reproductive systems, such as fruit flies. 17The team said their method does not require costly equipment, complex experimental setups or highly skilled laboratory workers. Daimon said, "These problems with (traditional) methods have plagued researchers who wish to perform genome editing on a wide variety of insect species." 18I'm Bryan Lynn. 19Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on a press release and report from Cell Reports Methods. 20We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 21__________________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23efficient - adj. working well and not wasting time or energy 24annoyed - adj. angry or upset 25genome - n. the complete set of genetic material of a human, animal, plant, or other living thing 26principle - n. a basic idea or rule that explains or controls how something happens or works 27plague - v. to cause worry, pain or difficulty to someone or something over a period of time 28species - n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants