Recombination between phages and CRISPR-cas loci facilitates horizontal gene transfer in staphylococci.

ABSTRACT: CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) loci and their associated (cas) genes encode an adaptive immune system that protects prokaryotes from viral¹ and plasmid² invaders. Following viral (phage) infection, a small fraction of the prokaryotic cells are able to integrate a small sequence of the invader's genome into the CRISPR array¹. These sequences, known as spacers, are transcribed and processed into small CRISPR RNA guides^3-5 that associate with Cas nucleases to specify a viral target for destruction^6-9. Although CRISPR-cas loci are widely distributed throughout microbial genomes and often display hallmarks of horizontal gene transfer^10-12, the drivers of CRISPR dissemination remain unclear. Her

SUBMITTER: Varble A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6533911 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature