Adaptation by Type III CRISPR-Cas Systems: Breakthrough Findings and Open Questions

Xinfu Zhang; Xinmin An

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2022.876174

Adaptation by Type III CRISPR-Cas Systems: Breakthrough Findings and Open Questions

Front Microbiol. 2022 Apr 14:13:876174. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.876174. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Xinfu Zhang^{1

2}, Xinmin An²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States.
² Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, National Engineering Research Center of Tree breeding and Ecological Remediation, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.

Abstract

CRISPR-Cas systems acquire heritable defense memory against invading nucleic acids through adaptation. Type III CRISPR-Cas systems have unique and intriguing features of defense and are important in method development for Genetics research. We started to understand the common and unique properties of type III CRISPR-Cas adaptation in recent years. This review summarizes our knowledge regarding CRISPR-Cas adaptation with the emphasis on type III systems and discusses open questions for type III adaptation studies.

Keywords: CRISPR-Cas system; adaptation; reverse transcriptase; ssDNA secondary structure; type III.

Publication types

Review