Echavarria Galindo Martin, Lai Yong
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Infect Immun. 2025 Sep 9;93(9):e0051024. doi: 10.1128/iai.00510-24. Epub 2025 Aug 4.
CRISPR-based genetic tools have revolutionized our ability to interrogate and manipulate genes. These tools can be applied to both host and microbial cells, and their use can enhance our understanding of the dynamic nature of host-microbe interactions by uncovering their genetic underpinnings. As reviewed here, CRISPR-based tools are being used to explore the microbiome in an efficient, accurate, and high-throughput manner. By employing CRISPR screens, targeted genome editing, and recording systems to the study of host cells and microorganisms, we can gain critical insights into host defense mechanisms, potential vulnerabilities, and microbial pathogenesis, as well as essential or condition-specific genes involved in host-microbe interactions. Additionally, CRISPR-based genetic tools are being used in animal models to study host-microbe interactions . Recent advancements in CRISPR-derived technology can be combined with emerging techniques, such as single-cell RNA sequencing, to examine the complex interactions between hosts and microbes, shedding light on the role of the microbiome in health and disease. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of how these cutting-edge genetic tools are being used to investigate host-microbial systems, as well as their current limitations. Current research is likely to yield even more advanced genetic toolkits than those presently available, and these can serve researchers in identifying and exploring new therapeutic targets for diseases related to host-microbe interactions.
基于CRISPR的基因工具彻底改变了我们探究和操纵基因的能力。这些工具可应用于宿主细胞和微生物细胞，通过揭示宿主-微生物相互作用的遗传基础，其使用能够增进我们对宿主-微生物相互作用动态本质的理解。如本文所述，基于CRISPR的工具正被用于以高效、准确和高通量的方式探索微生物组。通过将CRISPR筛选、靶向基因组编辑和记录系统应用于宿主细胞和微生物的研究，我们能够深入了解宿主防御机制、潜在弱点、微生物发病机制，以及参与宿主-微生物相互作用的必需或条件特异性基因。此外，基于CRISPR的基因工具正被用于动物模型以研究宿主-微生物相互作用。CRISPR衍生技术的最新进展可与新兴技术（如单细胞RNA测序）相结合，以研究宿主与微生物之间的复杂相互作用，从而阐明微生物组在健康和疾病中的作用。本综述旨在全面概述这些前沿基因工具如何被用于研究宿主-微生物系统，以及它们目前的局限性。当前的研究可能会产生比现有工具更先进的基因工具包，这些工具包可帮助研究人员识别和探索与宿主-微生物相互作用相关疾病的新治疗靶点。
