A microscopic discovery will not only enable scientists to understand the microbial world around us but could also provide a new way to control CRISPR-Cas biotechnologies.
An international team of researchers led by Professor Peter Fineran from the University of Otago and Dr Rafael Pinilla-Redondo from the University of Copenhagen has published a study in the journalCo-first author Dr David Mayo-Muñoz, of the Phage-host interactions laboratory in Otago's Department of Microbiology and Immunology, says this finding could teach us about microbial dynamics in the environment, be used to make gene editing safer, and lead to more efficient alternatives to...
"If a virus comes in, part of its DNA is added to the memory bank, and then turned from DNA to RNA in the process. Each RNA acts like a guide so the CRISPR-Cas system can correctly identify and destroy the invading phage. Each addition to the memory bank is divided by a CRISPR repeat sequence, which stacks up like bookends between each phage sequence.
Professor Fineran, head of the Phi laboratory at Otago, says these RNA anti-CRISPRs blind the immune complexes of the bacteria. "This molecular mimic ruins the defences of the bacteria and the function of the system; it's basically a decoy." CRISPR-Cas will eventually be used for gene therapy -- to repair mutated genes that cause disease -- but to make it safer, anti-CRISPRs are needed to modulate the technology.
"We are excited to be able to provide a whole new insight into how phages battle with their bacterial hosts. We hope that these RNA anti-CRISPRs will provide a new approach to help control CRISPR-Cas technologies."Sarah Camara-Wilpert, David Mayo-Muñoz, Jakob Russel, Robert D. Fagerlund, Jonas S. Madsen, Peter C. Fineran, Søren J. Sørensen, Rafael Pinilla-Redondo.
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