CRISPR/Cas systems are known as promising “gene scissors,” editing the genomes of plants, animals and microorganisms by targeting specific regions in their DNA. They might also be used to correct genetic defects. A team of scientists led by Juliane Behler and Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hess from the University of Freiburg have now identified an enzyme that functions as a pair of RNA scissors involved in CRISPR/Cas systems and the correct regulation of gene expression—it reads genes and translates their information into proteins. The researchers have published their work in the scientific journal Nature Microbiology.