*Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
Biochem Soc Trans. 2013 Dec;41(6):1412-5. doi: 10.1042/BST20130109.
The CRISPRs (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) and their associated Cas (CRISPR-associated) proteins are a prokaryotic adaptive defence system against foreign nucleic acids. The CRISPR array comprises short repeats flanking short segments, called 'spacers', which are derived from foreign nucleic acids. The process of spacer insertion into the CRISPR array is termed 'adaptation'. Adaptation allows the system to rapidly evolve against emerging threats. In the present article, we review the most recent studies on the adaptation process, and focus primarily on the subtype I-E CRISPR-Cas system of Escherichia coli.
CRISPRs（成簇规律间隔短回文重复序列）及其相关的 Cas（CRISPR 相关）蛋白是原核生物抵御外来核酸的适应性防御系统。CRISPR 阵列由短重复序列侧翼短片段组成，称为“间隔区”，这些间隔区来自于外来核酸。将间隔区插入 CRISPR 阵列的过程称为“适应”。适应使该系统能够快速进化以应对新出现的威胁。在本文中，我们回顾了关于适应过程的最新研究，并主要关注大肠杆菌的 I-E 型 CRISPR-Cas 系统。
