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Overview of CRISPR–Cas9 Biology

Authors :
David S. Weiss
Timothy R. Sampson
Hannah K. Ratner
Source :
Cold Spring Harbor Protocols. 2016:pdb.top088849
Publication Year :
2016
Publisher :
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 2016.

Abstract

Prokaryotes use diverse strategies to improve fitness in the face of different environmental threats and stresses, including those posed by mobile genetic elements (e.g., bacteriophages and plasmids). To defend against these elements, many bacteria and archaea use elegant, RNA-directed, nucleic acid–targeting adaptive restriction machineries called CRISPR–Cas (CRISPR-associated) systems. While providing an effective defense against foreign genetic elements, these systems have also been observed to play critical roles in regulating bacterial physiology during environmental stress. Increasingly, CRISPR–Cas systems, in particular the Type II systems containing the Cas9 endonuclease, have been exploited for their ability to bind desired nucleic acid sequences, as well as direct sequence-specific cleavage of their targets. Cas9-mediated genome engineering is transcending biological research as a versatile and portable platform for manipulating genetic content in myriad systems. Here, we present a systematic overview of CRISPR–Cas history and biology, highlighting the revolutionary tools derived from these systems, which greatly expand the molecular biologists’ toolkit.

Details

ISSN :
15596095 and 19403402
Volume :
2016
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Cold Spring Harbor Protocols
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....2bcc55fa07fe83366810e6271313cb34
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1101/pdb.top088849