Kirst King-Jones

Abstract Vesicular transport is essential for delivering cargo to intracellular destinations. Evi5 is a Rab11-GTPase-activating protein involved in endosome recycling. In humans, Evi5 is a high-risk locus for multiple sclerosis, a debilitating disease that also presents with excess iron in the CNS. In insects, the prothoracic gland (PG) requires entry of extracellular iron to synthesize steroidogenic enzyme cofactors. The mechanism of peripheral iron uptake in insect cells remains controversial.

Abstract Advances in CRISPR technology have immensely improved our ability to manipulate nucleic acids, and the recent discovery of the RNA-targeting endonuclease Cas13 adds even further functionality. Here, we show that Cas13 works efficiently in Drosophila, both ex vivo and in vivo. We test 44 different Cas13 variants to identify enzymes with the best overall performance and show that Cas13 could target endogenous Drosophila transcripts in vivo with high efficiency and specificity.

Loading metrics Open Access Peer-reviewed Research Article Jie Zeng, Nhan Huynh, Brian Phelps, Kirst King-Jones Jie Zeng, Nhan Huynh, Brian Phelps, Kirst King-Jones Published: February 25, 2020 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000609 Figures Abstract The final body size of any given individual underlies both genetic and environmental constraints. Both mammals and insects use target of rapamycin (TOR) and insulin signaling pathways to coordinate growth with nutrition.