J Biomed Res. 2021 Mar 26;35(2):91-106. doi: 10.7555/JBR.35.20200184.
Journal of biomedical research
Alexander Mckay, Gaetan Burgio
PMID: 33797415 PMCID: PMC8038530 DOI: 10.7555/JBR.35.20200184
The discovery and utilization of RNA-guided surveillance complexes, such as CRISPR-Cas9, for sequence-specific DNA or RNA cleavage, has revolutionised the process of gene modification or knockdown. To optimise the use of this technology, an exploratory race has ensued to discover or develop new RNA-guided endonucleases with the most flexible sequence targeting requirements, coupled with high cleavage efficacy and specificity. Here we review the constraints of existing gene editing and assess the merits of exploiting the diversity of CRISPR-Cas effectors as a methodology for surmounting these limitations.
Keywords: CRISPR-Cas systems; DNA repair; DNA transposable elements; biological evolution; classification; gene editing