Journal
NATURE
Volume 526, Issue 7571, Pages 55-61Publisher
NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP
DOI: 10.1038/nature15386
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- Rita Allen Scholars Program
- Irma T. Hirschl Award
- Sinsheimer Foundation
- NIH [1DP2AI104556-01]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Prokaryotic organisms are threatened by a large array of viruses and have developed numerous defence strategies. Among these, only clustered, regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-Cas systems provide adaptive immunity against foreign elements. Upon viral injection, a small sequence of the viral genome, known as a spacer, is integrated into the CRISPR locus to immunize the host cell. Spacers are transcribed into small RNA guides that direct the cleavage of the viral DNA by Cas nucleases. Immunization through spacer acquisition enables a unique form of evolution whereby a population not only rapidly acquires resistance to its predators but also passes this resistance mechanism vertically to its progeny.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available