Cas3 Protein-A Review of a Multi-Tasking Machine

Liu He; Michael St John James; Marin Radovcic; Ivana Ivancic-Bace; Edward L Bolt

doi:10.3390/genes11020208

Cas3 Protein-A Review of a Multi-Tasking Machine

Genes (Basel). 2020 Feb 18;11(2):208. doi: 10.3390/genes11020208.

Authors

Liu He¹, Michael St John James¹, Marin Radovcic², Ivana Ivancic-Bace², Edward L Bolt¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK.
² Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia.

Abstract

Cas3 has essential functions in CRISPR immunity but its other activities and roles, in vitro and in cells, are less widely known. We offer a concise review of the latest understanding and questions arising from studies of Cas3 mechanism during CRISPR immunity, and highlight recent attempts at using Cas3 for genetic editing. We then spotlight involvement of Cas3 in other aspects of cell biology, for which understanding is lacking-these focus on CRISPR systems as regulators of cellular processes in addition to defense against mobile genetic elements.

Keywords: CRISPR; Cas3; biofilm; helicase; nuclease.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats
DNA Helicases / chemistry*
DNA Helicases / metabolism*
Gene Editing
Interspersed Repetitive Sequences
Models, Molecular
Protein Conformation

Substances

DNA Helicases