The biology of CRISPR-Cas: backward and forward

• Autores: Frank Hille, Hagen Richter, Shi Pey Wong, Majda Bratovic, Emmanuelle Charpentier
• Localización: Cell, ISSN 0092-8674, Vol. 172, Nº. 6, 2018 (Ejemplar dedicado a: The Microbial Word), págs. 1239-1259
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • 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.