Cmr1 enables efficient RNA and DNA interference of a III-B CRISPR-Cas system by binding to target RNA and crRNA.

ABSTRACT: CRISPR-Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-CRISPR-associated) systems provide adaptive immunity against invasive nucleic acids guided by CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) in archaea and bacteria. Type III CRISPR-Cas effector complexes show RNA cleavage and RNA-activated DNA cleavage activity, representing the only known system of dual nucleic acid interference. Here, we investigated the function of Cmr1 by genetic assays of DNA and RNA interference activity in the mutants and biochemical characterization of their mutated Cmr complexes. Three cmr1α mutants were constructed including ΔβΔ1α, Δβ1α-M1 and Δβ1α-M2 among which the last two mutants carried a double and a quadruple mutation in the first α-helix region of Cmr1α. Whereas the double mutation of Cmr1α (W58A and F59A) grea

SUBMITTER: Li Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5737701 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature