Re:Gene Editing Tool Hailed as a Breakthrough, and It Really...
by fasteo on Tuesday December 29, 2015 @03:21PM
(#10808815)
Although not usually mentioned, it is important to note that CRISPR is a natural process that bacteria use as part of their immune system. For what is worth, the mechanistic process and a specific functional result - defend against viruses - have stood the proof of time.
"bacteria use Cas enzymes to grab fragments of viral DNA. They then insert the virus fragments into their own CRISPR sequences. Later, when another virus comes along, the bacteria can use the CRISPR sequence as a cheat sheet to recognize the invader." [1]
"bacteria use Cas enzymes to grab fragments of viral DNA. They then insert the virus fragments into their own CRISPR sequences. Later, when another virus comes along, the bacteria can use the CRISPR sequence as a cheat sheet to recognize the invader." [1]
[1] https://www.quantamagazine.org/20150206-crispr-dna-editor-ba...