Overview:

CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) and CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins constitute the adaptive immune system in bacteria (1-2). This system has been leveraged to create an exemplary gene detection and genome editing tool with applications in both basic research and therapeutics development (3). AapCas12b belongs to the type V CRISPR effector, CRISPRCas12b/C2c1. It has both cis and trans nuclease cleavage activity. Due to its trans cleavage activity and excellent thermostability, it can be used in a wide range of biochemical applications including gene detection, mammalian genome editing, and gene activation (4).

Components:

References:

1. Horvath, P., et al. 2010. CRISPR/Cas, the immune system of bacteria and archaea. Science, 327(5962):167-170.

2. Morange, M. 2015. What history tells us XXXVII. CRISPR-Cas: The disconvery of an immune system in prokaryotes. J. Biosci. 40(2):221-223.

3. Gier, R.A., et al. 2020. High-performance CRISPR-Cas12a genome editing for combinatorial genetic screening. Nat. Commun. 11(1):1-9.

4. Teng F, et al. 2018. Repurposing CRISPR-Cas12b for mammalian genome engineering. Cell discovery. 2018, 4(1):1-5.