ABSTRACT
Transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) are synthetic molecules that are composed of transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) and FokI endonucleases. They were discovered in the year 2007. TALENs have thus been used in genome editing. They are easy to design and less expensive. They can be used to edit and up-regulate genes. TALEs have repeating domains of between 33 and 35 amino acids. These units are largely identical except for two amino acids found at positions 12 and 13. The mode of action for TALENs is similar to the one for ZFNs. TALE domains can be extended to produce arrays, which can recognize lengths of any size. TALENs have a significantly higher rate of cleavage activity as compared to ZFNs. It is far more straightforward to engineer interactions between TALENs DNA-binding domains and their target nucleotides than it is to create interactions with ZFNs and their target nucleotide triplets. Most uses of TALENs have so far been in scientific research. TALENs have the potential to alter any DNA sequence, whether in a bacterium, plant, animal, or human being. They have an almost limitless range of possible applications in living things. They have also been used to develop biofuels. TALE-based DNA-binding modules are more efficient than other gene-editing tools because they are specific and exhibit low off-target activity. TALENs are large, making them difficult to deliver to many different cell types. TALENs are available, but they need experience to make the final TALENs efficient. TALENs have been used to modify the Gryllusbimaculatus genome. TALENs have also been used in crop improvement. In rice, TALENs were used to reduce the effects of Xanthomonasoryzae, which is a pathogen responsible for blight disease. The possible applications for TALENs include industrial biotechnology, increasing yield, and introducing resistance to disease and pests in both crops and livestock.
