Heussler Gary E, O'Toole George A
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
J Bacteriol. 2016 Apr 28;198(10):1481-6. doi: 10.1128/JB.00086-16. Print 2016 May 15.
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-associated (Cas) systems in bacteria and archaea target foreign elements, such as bacteriophages and conjugative plasmids, through the incorporation of short sequences (termed spacers) from the foreign element into the CRISPR array, thereby allowing sequence-specific targeting of the invader. Thus, CRISPR-Cas systems are typically considered a microbial adaptive immune system. While many of these incorporated spacers match targets on bacteriophages and plasmids, a noticeable number are derived from chromosomal DNA. While usually lethal to the self-targeting bacteria, in certain circumstances, these self-targeting spacers can have profound effects in regard to microbial biology, including functions beyond adaptive immunity. In this minireview, we discuss recent studies that focus on the functions and consequences of CRISPR-Cas self-targeting, including reshaping of the host population, group behavior modification, and the potential applications of CRISPR-Cas self-targeting as a tool in microbial biotechnology. Understanding the effects of CRISPR-Cas self-targeting is vital to fully understanding the spectrum of function of these systems.
细菌和古菌中的成簇规律间隔短回文重复序列（CRISPR）相关（Cas）系统通过将来自外来元件的短序列（称为间隔序列）整合到CRISPR阵列中来靶向外来元件，如噬菌体和接合质粒，从而实现对入侵者的序列特异性靶向。因此，CRISPR-Cas系统通常被认为是一种微生物适应性免疫系统。虽然许多整合的间隔序列与噬菌体和质粒上的靶标匹配，但仍有相当数量源自染色体DNA。虽然这些自我靶向序列通常对细菌是致命的，但在某些情况下，它们会对微生物生物学产生深远影响，包括超出适应性免疫的功能。在本综述中，我们讨论了最近聚焦于CRISPR-Cas自我靶向功能和后果的研究，包括宿主群体重塑、群体行为改变以及CRISPR-Cas自我靶向作为微生物生物技术工具的潜在应用。了解CRISPR-Cas自我靶向的影响对于全面理解这些系统的功能范围至关重要。
