Sneha Singhal, Jaypee Institute of information technology, Noida
The United States has developed a new CRISPR-Cas system that cuts RNA. It was discovered by the group led by Stan Brouns (Delft University of Technology). Scientists anticipate that the study, published in the August 26 issue of the journal Science, will open up a myriad of possibilities for genetic research and biotechnology.
Virus-resistant immune system
In the same way that the Coronavirus causes illness in people, many viruses only attack bacteria. Since bacteria evolved millions of years ago, they have developed different types of sophisticated immune systems to fight off viral infections. In the past ten years, CRISPR-Cas has gained widespread attention as a promising immune system. Stan Brouns has stated that since 2006, researchers have been studying CRISPR-Cas systems, and new variants of CRISPR-Cas are on the horizon, which could be useful for crucial research. CRISPR-Cas9, for example, allows cells to edit their DNA very precisely. This has sparked a real revolution in research, such as the study of genetic disorders (Nobel Prize for Chemistry 2020—Doudna and Charpentier). Coronavirus testing has also shown CRISPR-Cas to be an effective alternative to the well-known PCR test. CRISPR-Cas, which we have discovered now, doesn’t work on DNA but RNA, opening up entirely new possibilities.
Features that set it apart
First author of the study in discussion, Sam van Beljouw, explains: “This system is unique biologically because it has a few properties we have not witnessed before.” This protein comprises multiple small CRISPR-Cas proteins merged into a single large protein. An invading virus is destroyed by cutting RNA at two pre-programmed sites by this protein, resulting in the virus’s first knockout blow. Moreover, the protein has many similarities to that of a protein that is normally involved in cell death in humans. Therefore, it may be a case of the bacterium committing suicide when destroying viral RNA alone isn’t enough to protect itself.
Second blow and bacterium suicide
It seems paradoxical that a single-celled bacterium could commit suicide, but it can still be of great benefit to that organism. According to Van Beljouw, “For the virus to multiply and spread to surrounding bacteria, it needs a living bacterium.” Whenever an infected bacterium kills itself, it prevents new virus particles from being produced. A bacterium sacrifices itself this way to protect its brothers and sisters.
It is as if the bacterium is giving itself up for the greater good. The details of the study need to be unraveled. However, they anticipate that what they find will come in handy in the future. “We expect that this new CRISPR protein can be used as molecular precision scissors to cut RNA. We also see possibilities for converting the CRISPR protein into a kind of switch we can use to activate molecules, for example, a bioactive compound, at times when they are really needed,” Brouns has stated in an interview with phys.org.
Also read: Application of Embryonic stem cells in drug discovery
Reference:
Beljouw, S. P. B. van, Haagsma, A. C., Rodríguez-Molina, A., Berg, D. F. van den, Vink, J. N. A., & Brouns, S. J. J. (2021). The gRAMP CRISPR-Cas effector is an RNA endonuclease complexed with a caspase-like peptidase. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abk2718
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Author info:
Sneha Singhal is currently pursuing B.Tech in Biotechnology from Jaypee institute of information technology, Noida. She has a keen interest in bioinformatics and genetics. She aspires to be a researcher in future.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sneha-singhal
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