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). Cas12 has both cis and trans nuclease cleavage activity. Its trans cleavage activity can be exploited for various gene detection applications and its cis nuclease cleavage activity can be applied to gene editing applications like gene deletion (4). Cas12 is recognized as an ideal candidate for future management of diseases such as cancer (5).

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. Broughton JP, et al: Rapid detection of 2019 novel coronavirus SARSCoV-2 using a CRISPR-based DETECTR lateral flow assay. medRxiv doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/ 2020.03.06.20032334.

5. Singh, M., et al. 2022. The era of Cas12 and Cas13 CRISPR-based disease diagnosis. Critical Reviews in Microbiology, DOI: 10.1080/1040841X.2021.2025041.