CRISPR-CasΦ from Huge Phages is a Hypercompact Genome Editor

Overview

Journal Science

Specialty Science

Date 2020 Jul 18

PMID 32675376

Citations 227

Authors

Patrick Pausch

Basem Al-Shayeb

Ezra Bisom-Rapp

Connor A Tsuchida

Zheng Li

Brady F Cress

Gavin J Knott

Steven E Jacobsen

Jillian F Banfield

Jennifer A Doudna

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

CRISPR-Cas systems are found widely in prokaryotes, where they provide adaptive immunity against virus infection and plasmid transformation. We describe a minimal functional CRISPR-Cas system, comprising a single ~70-kilodalton protein, CasΦ, and a CRISPR array, encoded exclusively in the genomes of huge bacteriophages. CasΦ uses a single active site for both CRISPR RNA (crRNA) processing and crRNA-guided DNA cutting to target foreign nucleic acids. This hypercompact system is active in vitro and in human and plant cells with expanded target recognition capabilities relative to other CRISPR-Cas proteins. Useful for genome editing and DNA detection but with a molecular weight half that of Cas9 and Cas12a genome-editing enzymes, CasΦ offers advantages for cellular delivery that expand the genome editing toolbox.

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