Cas13-induced cellular dormancy prevents the rise of CRISPR-resistant bacteriophage.

ABSTRACT: Clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) loci in prokaryotes are composed of 30-40-base-pair repeats separated by equally short sequences of plasmid and bacteriophage origin known as spacers^1-3. These loci are transcribed and processed into short CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) that are used as guides by CRISPR-associated (Cas) nucleases to recognize and destroy complementary sequences (known as protospacers) in foreign nucleic acids^4,5. In contrast to most Cas nucleases, which destroy invader DNA^4-7, the type VI effector nuclease Cas13 uses RNA guides to locate complementary transcripts and catalyse both sequence-specific cis- and non-specific trans-RNA cleavage⁸. Although it has been hypothesized that Cas13 naturally defends aga

SUBMITTER: Meeske AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6570424 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature