INRS Researchers Discover New Tool for Cutting Single-stranded DNA

A research team at the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) in Quebec, Canada, reported a new genetic tool based on a family of specific enzymes called Ssn, which enables targeted cuts to be induced exclusively in single-stranded DNA. Their findings, reported in Nature Communications, provide insights into a vital genetic mechanism that could revolutionize biotechnology applications in various fields.

While double-stranded DNA is more prevalent, single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) exists in certain viruses and is involved in vital processes like DNA replication and repair. Furthermore, ssDNA is crucial in various technologies, including sequencing, gene editing, molecular diagnostics, and nanotechnology. However, a limitation in advancing ssDNA-based technologies has been the absence of a known endonuclease that specifically targets single-stranded DNA sequences. For the first time, the INRS research team found that the family of Ssn endonucleases allows cutting a specific sequence in single-stranded DNA.

The researchers focused on one of these enzymes in the bacterium meningococcus (Neisseria meningitidis). The enzyme targeted in the study is crucial to the exchange and alteration of genetic material, which influences evolution.

“In studying it, we found that it recognizes a specific sequence that is found in many instances in its genome and plays a key role in the natural transformation of the bacterium. This interaction directly influences the dynamics of the bacterial genome,” said INRS Professor Frédéric Veyrier, who led the research.

The results provide a new tool for DNA recognition and exchange and could pave the way to several novel applications in biology and medicine. The results could also improve methods of gene editing, DNA detection, and molecular diagnosis.

Read more from INRS and Nature Communications.