Zinc finger nuclease

A zinc finger nuclease is an engineered DNA-cutting protein made by joining zinc finger DNA-binding domains to a nuclease domain. Its recognition domains guide the nuclease to a chosen DNA sequence.

Zinc finger: A small protein domain stabilized by a zinc ion that can bind specific DNA sequences. Arrays of these domains recognize the target DNA sequence.
Genome editing: The deliberate alteration of an organism's DNA sequence using targeted molecular tools. Zinc finger nucleases are an early programmable platform for editing genomes.
CRISPR-Cas9: A genome-editing system in which a guide RNA directs Cas9 nuclease to a DNA target. It usually changes target recognition more easily than redesigning zinc finger arrays.
Restriction-modification system: A bacterial defense system that protects host DNA while cutting DNA lacking appropriate modification. Its restriction enzymes inspired engineered tools for sequence-specific DNA cleavage.
FokI: A bacterial restriction enzyme whose cleavage domain cuts DNA when paired with another FokI domain. Its cleavage domain supplies the nuclease activity in many zinc finger nucleases.
Gene therapy: The treatment or prevention of disease by changing genetic material in cells. Zinc finger nucleases have been developed to modify disease-related genes in cells.
TALEN: A programmable nuclease formed by joining transcription activator-like effector DNA-binding domains to a cleavage domain. TALENs use a different modular protein-DNA recognition system for targeted cutting.
Choo and Klug: Scientists who helped establish how zinc finger proteins recognize DNA and how their domains can be engineered. Their work underpinned the design of customizable zinc finger DNA-binding arrays.
DNA double-strand break: A DNA lesion in which both strands of the double helix are cut. Paired zinc finger nucleases create this lesion at their target site.
CCR5: A cell-surface chemokine receptor that serves as a major HIV entry co-receptor. Disrupting CCR5 with zinc finger nucleases has been studied as an HIV treatment strategy.

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