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Genome Editing Glossary

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Like any new technique, genome editing with CRISPR/Cas9 comes with a list of acronyms and abbreviations. This list should help you to familiarize yourself with the lingo and language of CRISPR/Cas9 studies.
Cas= CRISPR-associated genes
Cas9, Csn1 = a CRISPR-associated protein containing two nuclease domains, that is programmed by small RNAs to cleave DNA
crRNA = CRISPR RNA
dCAS9 = nuclease-deficent Cas9
DSB = Double-Stranded Break
gRNA = guide RNA
HDR = Homology-Directed Repair
HNH = an endonuclease domain named for characteristic histidine and asparagine residues
Indel = insertion and/or deletion
NHEJ = Non-Homologous End Joining
PAM = Protospacer-Adjacent Motif
RuvC = an endonuclease domain named for an E. coli protein involved in DNA repair
sgRNA = single guide RNA
tracrRNA, trRNA = trans-activating crRNA
TALEN = Transcription-Activator Like Effector Nuclease
ZFN = Zinc-Finger Nuclease

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