Like ZFN, TALENs use which nuclease domain?
Like zinc finger nucleases, transcription activator-like effector nucleases utilize catalytic domain of FokI endonuclease for cleavage because DNA binding domain lacks nuclease activity. TALE repeats provide programmable anchoring but cannot cut phosphodiester backbone; fusion via flexible linker to C-terminal 196 aa FokI cleavage domain confers scission capability. FokI domain requires dimerization, so two TALEN monomers engineered to bind opposite strands in tail-to-tail orientation with spacer 12 to 21 bp allow FokI domains to associate forming active nuclease complex generating double-stra
Ref: Christian et al. Genetics 2010 186:757 TALEN FokI; Joung Sander Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2013 FokI.