Editing Germline mutation (section)

=== ZFN editing ===
Similar to TALENs, [[zinc finger nuclease]]s (ZFNs) are used to create a double stranded break in the DNA at a specific locus in the genome.<ref name=":7" /> The ZFN editing complex consists of a [[Zinc finger|zinc finger protein]] (ZFP) and a restriction enzyme cleavage domain.<ref name=":8">{{cite journal | vauthors = Urnov FD, Rebar EJ, Holmes MC, Zhang HS, Gregory PD | title = Genome editing with engineered zinc finger nucleases | journal = Nature Reviews Genetics | volume = 11 | issue = 9 | pages = 636–46 | date = September 2010 | pmid = 20717154 | doi = 10.1038/nrg2842 | s2cid = 205484701 }}</ref> The ZNP domain can be altered to change the DNA sequence that the [[restriction enzyme]] cuts, and this cleavage event initiates cellular repair processes, similar to that of CRISPR/Cas9 DNA editing.<ref name=":8" />

Compared to CRISPR/Cas9, the therapeutic applications of this technology are limited, due to the extensive engineering required to make each ZFN specific to the desired sequence.<ref name=":8" />