Transposition: A CRISPR Way to Get Around

Tatiana Dimitriu; Ben Ashby; Edze R Westra

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2019.08.010

Transposition: A CRISPR Way to Get Around

Curr Biol. 2019 Sep 23;29(18):R886-R889. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.08.010.

Authors

Tatiana Dimitriu¹, Ben Ashby², Edze R Westra³

Affiliations

¹ Environment and Sustainability Institute, Biosciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK.
² Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, Somerset BA2 7AY, UK.
³ Environment and Sustainability Institute, Biosciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK. Electronic address: E.R.Westra@exeter.ac.uk.

PMID: 31550477
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.08.010

Abstract

CRISPR-Cas systems provide sequence-specific immunity against selfish genetic elements in prokaryotes. Now, two studies show that transposon-encoded variants can guide sequence-specific transposition. These findings have important practical implications but also raise questions of why and how this strategy would benefit transposons.

Publication types

Comment

MeSH terms

CRISPR-Cas Systems
Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats*
DNA Transposable Elements
RNA
Transposases*

Substances

DNA Transposable Elements
RNA
Transposases