In research published in Nature Catalysis, scientists at Florida State University produced the first high-resolution, time-lapsed images showing magnesium ions interacting with the CRISPR-Cas9 enzyme while it cut strands of DNA, providing clear evidence that magnesium plays a role in both chemical bond breakage and near-simultaneous DNA cutting.
CRISPR-Cas9 is the most widely used tool for genetic manipulation. The technology uses a repurposed enzyme to bind to DNA, allowing alterations at specified locations in a genome. The researchers used the cryo-electron microscope at FSU's Biological Science Imaging Resource, which can produce images with near-atomic resolution, to observe metal ions and other atoms at work within the CRISPR-Cas9 enzyme. That allowed them to collect data that not only confirmed their earlier hypotheses but also led to the surprising discovery about how magnesium coordinates double-stranded breaks.