The CRISPR conundrum: evolve and maybe die, or survive and risk stagnation

Microbial Cell
Jesús García-MartínezFrancisco J M Mojica

Abstract

CRISPR-Cas represents a prokaryotic defense mechanism against invading genetic elements. Although there is a diversity of CRISPR-Cas systems, they all share similar, essential traits. In general, a CRISPR-Cas system consists of one or more groups of DNA repeats named CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats), regularly separated by unique sequences referred to as spacers, and a set of functionally associated cas (CRISPR associated) genes typically located next to one of the repeat arrays. The origin of spacers is in many cases unknown but, when ascertained, they usually match foreign genetic molecules. The proteins encoded by some of the cas genes are in charge of the incorporation of new spacers upon entry of a genetic element. Other Cas proteins participate in generating CRISPR-spacer RNAs and perform the task of destroying nucleic acid molecules carrying sequences similar to the spacer. In this way, CRISPR-Cas provides protection against genetic intruders that could substantially affect the cell viability, thus acting as an adaptive immune system. However, this defensive action also hampers the acquisition of potentially beneficial, horizontally transferred genes, undermining evolution. Here we cover...Continue Reading

Citations

Mar 25, 2019·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Saadlee ShehreenChris M Brown
Jun 7, 2019·The Journal of Biological Chemistry·Pierre PlateauSylvain Blanquet
Dec 21, 2019·Nature Reviews. Microbiology·Kira S MakarovaEugene V Koonin
Jun 6, 2019·Nature Reviews. Microbiology·Guilhem FaureEugene V Koonin
Apr 10, 2020·ACS Synthetic Biology·Robert M Cooper, Jeff Hasty

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