During primed CRISPR adaptation spacers are preferentially selected from DNA recognized by CRISPR interference machinery, which in the case of Type I CRISPR-Cas systems consists of CRISPR RNA (crRNA) bound effector Cascade complex that locates complementary targets, and Cas3 executor nuclease/helicase. A complex of Cas1 and Cas2 proteins is capable of inserting new spacers in the CRISPR array. ...

CRISPR/Cas, comprised of Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and associated proteins (Cas), provides adaptive immunity against foreign DNA in bacteria and archaea. Type II CRISPR/Cas9 has attracted considerable interest as a tool to probe and manipulate biological systems. It has been engineered to introduce genome editing in a simple, flexible, and efficient mann...

Human platelet alloantigens (HPAs) reside on functionally important platelet membrane glycoproteins and are caused by single nucleotide polymorphisms in the genes that encode them. Antibodies that form against HPAs are responsible for several clinically important alloimmune bleeding disorders, including fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia and posttransfusion purpura. The HPA-1a/HPA-1...

In rice, amylose content (AC) is controlled by a single dominant Waxy gene. We used Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated 9 (Cas9) to introduce a loss-of-function mutation into the Waxy gene in two widely cultivated elite japonica varieties. Our results show that mutations in the Waxy gene reduce AC and convert the rice into glutinous ones without ...

In 2007, Philippe Horvath and his colleagues explained how bacteria protect themselves against viruses at Danisco, a Danish food company, in Dangé-Saint-Romain, France. Horvath and his team worked to improve the lifespan of bacteria cultures for manufacturing yogurt and ice cream. Specifically, they focused on bacteria?s resistance to bacteriophages, or viruses that infect bacteria. Horvath and...

The CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat)-Cas9 (CRISPR-associated nuclease 9) system is poised to transform developmental biology by providing a simple, efficient method to precisely manipulate the genome of virtually any developing organism. This RNA-guided nuclease (RGN)-based approach already has been effectively used to induce targeted mutations in multiple genes...

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated (Cas) system has been broadly adopted for highly efficient genome editing in a variety of model organisms and human cell types. Unlike previous genome editing technologies such as zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), CRISPR/Cas technology does not require...

The discovery of biological concepts can often provide a framework for the development of novel molecular tools, which can help us to further understand and manipulate life. One recent example is the elucidation of the prokaryotic adaptive immune system, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated (Cas) that protects bacteria and archaea against viruses ...

CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)-Cas (CRISPR-associated) systems are known to mediate bacterial defence against foreign nucleic acids. We recently demonstrated a non-canonical role for a CRISPR-Cas system in controlling endogenous gene expression, which had not previously been appreciated. In the present article, we describe the studies that led to this discove...