Unexpectedly broad target recognition of the CRISPR-mediated virus defence system in the archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus.

ABSTRACT: The hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus carries an extensive array of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) systems able to mediate DNA degradation of invading genetic elements when complementarity to the small CRISPR-derived (cr)RNAs is given. Studying virus defence in vivo with recombinant viral variants, we demonstrate here that an unexpectedly high number of mutations are tolerated between the CRISPR-derived guide RNAs (crRNAs) and their target sequences (protospacer). Up to 15 mismatches in the crRNA still led to ∼50% of DNA degradation, when these mutations were outside the 'seed' region. More than 15 mutations were necessary to fully abolished interference. Different from other CRISPR systems investigated in vivo, mutations outside the pro

SUBMITTER: Manica A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3905844 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature