CRISPR-Cas systems are well known gene editing tools, among which CRISPR-Cas9 system targeting DNA is the most well developed. Compared with CRISPR-Cas9 system, CRISPR-C2c2/ Cas13a system derived from TYPE VI of CRISPR family that can target RNA has attracted increasingly intense investigations in recent years. The CRISPR-Cas13a system is featured by specific recognition and binding of single stranded RNA sequences, thus playing a role in non-specific cleavage of RNA. This feature could be potentially applied to detect free nucleic acid in tumors or peripheral blood as a diagnostic approach. Since Cas13a specifically targets RNA, it can directly edit mRNA transcripts of genomic DNA to achieve the downregulation of target proteins without involving DNA editing. Therefore, Cas13a system could be used in tumor treatment. This review summarized the advances of using CRISPR-Cas13a for RNA targeting in tumor diagnosis and treatment, and prospected future applications.
Keywords: CRISPR-Cas13a; RNA editing; regulation of gene expression; tumor diagnosis; tumor treatment.