CRISPR System: From Adaptive Immunity to Genome Editing
Abstract
CRISPR-Cas9 is a revolutionary genome-editing tool. Understanding how Cas9 recognizes DNA and how to control its function will be critical in improving the system. We used single-molecule FRET to elucidate a key validation step during DNA target recognition. We also used X-ray crystallography to show how a Cas9 inhibitor is able to permit DNA binding but prevent cleavage. Finally, CRISPR research is notable not just for the exciting applications, but also for its profound ethical implications.
This article was transcribed from a presentation delivered by Professor Doudna at the Molecular Frontiers Symposium on Tailored Biology at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, May 2017. It is published here in MFJ with permission from Professor Doudna.
