%0 Journal Article %T Zinc finger nucleases for targeted mutagenesis and repair of the sickle-cell disease mutation: An in-silico study %A Misaki Wayengera %J BMC Blood Disorders %D 2012 %I BioMed Central %R 10.1186/1471-2326-12-5 %X First, using the complete 1606 genomic DNA base pair (bp) sequences of the normal hemoglobin-beta (¦ÂA) chain gene, and the ZiFiT-CoDA-ZFA software preset at default, 57 three-finger arrays (ZFAs) that specifically bind 9 base-pair sequences within the normal hemoglobin-beta chain, were computationally assembled. Second, by serial linkage of these ZFAs to the Flavobacterium okeanokoites endonuclease Fok I¨D four ZFNs with unique specificity to >24£¿bp target-sequences at the genomic contextual positions 82, 1333, 1334, and 1413 of the ¦ÂA chain-gene were constructed in-silico. Third, localizing the point-mutation of SCD at genomic contextual position £¿69-70-71- bp (a position corresponding to the 6th codon) of the ¦ÂA chain-gene, inspired the final design of five more ZFNs specific to >24£¿bp target-sequences within the 8,954£¿bp that are genomically adjacent to the 5¡ä end of the ¦ÂA chain-gene.This set of 57 ZFAs and 9 ZFNs offers us gene-therapeutic precursors for the targeted mutagenesis and repair of the SCD mutation or genotype. %U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2326/12/5/abstract