Diversity and evolution of class 2 CRISPR-Cas systems.

Nat Rev Microbiol
Authors
Abstract

Class 2 CRISPR-Cas systems are characterized by effector modules that consist of a single multidomain protein, such as Cas9 or Cpf1. We designed a computational pipeline for the discovery of novel class 2 variants and used it to identify six new CRISPR-Cas subtypes. The diverse properties of these new systems provide potential for the development of versatile tools for genome editing and regulation. In this Analysis article, we present a comprehensive census of class 2 types and class 2 subtypes in complete and draft bacterial and archaeal genomes, outline evolutionary scenarios for the independent origin of different class 2 CRISPR-Cas systems from mobile genetic elements, and propose an amended classification and nomenclature of CRISPR-Cas.

Year of Publication
2017
Journal
Nat Rev Microbiol
Volume
15
Issue
3
Pages
169-182
Date Published
2017 03
ISSN
1740-1534
DOI
10.1038/nrmicro.2016.184
PubMed ID
28111461
Links