The Biology of CRISPR-Cas: Backward and Forward
The Biology of CRISPR-Cas: Backward and Forward
- Cell, 172(6), p.1239-1259, 2018 .
In bacteria and archaea, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)and CRISPR-associated (Cas)proteins constitute an adaptive immune system against phages and other foreign genetic elements. Here, we review the biology of the diverse CRISPR-Cas systems and the major progress achieved in recent years in understanding the underlying mechanisms of the three stages of CRISPR-Cas immunity: adaptation, crRNA biogenesis, and interference. The ecology and regulation of CRISPR-Cas in the context of phage infection, the roles of these systems beyond immunity, and the open questions that propel the field forward are also discussed. CRISPR-Cas systems provide bacteria and archaea with diverse mechanisms of adaptive immunity, illuminating the evolutionary pressures imposed by selfish genetic elements.
CRISPR ASSOCIATED PROTEIN
DNA
NUCLEIC ACID
RNA
In bacteria and archaea, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)and CRISPR-associated (Cas)proteins constitute an adaptive immune system against phages and other foreign genetic elements. Here, we review the biology of the diverse CRISPR-Cas systems and the major progress achieved in recent years in understanding the underlying mechanisms of the three stages of CRISPR-Cas immunity: adaptation, crRNA biogenesis, and interference. The ecology and regulation of CRISPR-Cas in the context of phage infection, the roles of these systems beyond immunity, and the open questions that propel the field forward are also discussed. CRISPR-Cas systems provide bacteria and archaea with diverse mechanisms of adaptive immunity, illuminating the evolutionary pressures imposed by selfish genetic elements.
CRISPR ASSOCIATED PROTEIN
DNA
NUCLEIC ACID
RNA