Professor Park Hyunho's Team at Chung-Ang University College of Pharmacy Uncovers Mechanism of Gene Editing System

Mechanism of Anti-CRISPR Protein Action Revealed

Chung-Ang University announced on the 23rd that Professor Hyunho Park's team from the College of Pharmacy has succeeded in elucidating the mechanism of action of anti-CRISPR proteins.

Professor Park and PhD candidate Kigeop Kim's research team were the first in the world to clarify the mechanism of action of the anti-CRISPR protein 'AcrIIA28,' which inhibits the function of the gene-editing system, a form of adaptive immunity in bacteria. This is expected to play a significant role in further refining the gene-editing system, which is regarded as a future innovative therapeutic technology.

Professor Hyunho Park's research team at Chung-Ang University College of Pharmacy
Photo by Chung-Ang University

Bacteria and viruses have long been engaged in a survival competition. Bacteria protect themselves by remembering the genetic information of viruses that attacked them and immediately eliminating viruses with similar genes upon invasion. This bacterial defense and immune system is called the gene-editing system or CRISPR-Cas. In response, viruses have evolved to possess anti-CRISPR proteins that can neutralize the bacterial gene-editing system and evade immunity.

Professor Hyunho Park's research team succeeded in elucidating at the molecular level how AcrIIA28 neutralizes the bacterial gene-editing system. This is the world's first revelation of AcrIIA28's immune evasion strategy.

This research was supported by the Mid-Career Researcher Support Project and the BK21+ Project.

Professor Park stated, "The gene-editing system is one of the future innovative therapeutic technologies undergoing extensive research because it can treat human diseases through genetic manipulation. The problem is that there are phenomena such as reduced efficiency when cutting DNA at unintended sites or when targeting specific DNA sequences." He added, "Revealing the function and mechanism of the anti-CRISPR protein AcrIIA28, which can be used for therapeutic purposes, will greatly help in precisely regulating and applying the gene-editing system."