Immuungeheugen en andere aspecten van CRISPR

The CRISPR-Cas system protects the bacteria from foreign genetic elements.

In laboratories, the system is programmed using Cas-9 to edit genes in plants, animals, and humans.

Cas9, an endonuclease from Streptococcus pyogenes, is delivered into the cells with a synthetic guide RNA- sgRNA.

The sgRNA guides Cas9 to the Protospacer Adjacent Motif sequence, allowing it to bind and cut the DNA at the target site.

For gene insertion, Cas9, guided by one sgRNA, cleaves the site, allowing homologous recombination to insert the new gene.

For gene deletion, two sgRNAs direct Cas9 to cut both ends of the target region.

The gene is excised, and the repair system joins the cut ends.

CRISPR-Cas9 has been designed to inactivate HIV by excising its DNA from infected cells. Engineered systems like Csy4 target free HIV RNA, though these methods are still experimental.

Besides targeting a single locus, CRISPR-Cas9 can edit multiple genes simultaneously—such as removing multiple retroviral copies.