CRISPR has been all the craze for scientist around the world since it allows for "relatively easy" manipulation of an organism's genome. CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats. This technology essentially mimics the bacterial immune system to make precise changes to the genome. In Professor Martin’s Lab, at The George Washington University, we have been investigating butterfly wing pattern formation via the use of CRISPR technology, specifically in Vanessa cardui, also known as the Painted Lady butterfly. Lepidoptera is an order of insects that includes moths and butterflies. Butterfly wings are composed of wing scales, which serve as the base for wing color patterns.CRISPR is a genome-editing tool that allows for the deletion and insertion of specific genes with high precision. Moreover, the use of CRISPR genome editing techniques allows for the production and characterization of specific mutations in genes of interest. We have established a protocol to analyze gene function during the development of a non-traditional model organism, the Painted Lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui). The ability to do gene knockouts (eliminate a specific gene) in Lepidoptera was not feasible prior to the rise of CRISPR. The molecular mechanisms for the development of scales are fundamentally unknown since the proper technology for analyzing gene function in Lepidoptera was absent prior to CRISPR technology. With CRISPR we are able to explore this field and expand our knowledge on this subject.
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