CRISPR provides acquired resistance against viruses in prokaryotes

Science. 2007 Mar 23;315(5819):1709-12. doi: 10.1126/science.1138140.

Abstract

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) are a distinctive feature of the genomes of most Bacteria and Archaea and are thought to be involved in resistance to bacteriophages. We found that, after viral challenge, bacteria integrated new spacers derived from phage genomic sequences. Removal or addition of particular spacers modified the phage-resistance phenotype of the cell. Thus, CRISPR, together with associated cas genes, provided resistance against phages, and resistance specificity is determined by spacer-phage sequence similarity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • DNA, Bacterial / genetics
  • DNA, Intergenic / genetics*
  • Evolution, Molecular
  • Genes, Bacterial*
  • Genome, Viral
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutation
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
  • Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid*
  • Streptococcus Phages / genetics
  • Streptococcus Phages / physiology*
  • Streptococcus thermophilus / genetics*
  • Streptococcus thermophilus / virology*
  • Viral Plaque Assay
  • Virus Replication

Substances

  • DNA, Bacterial
  • DNA, Intergenic

Associated data

  • GENBANK/EF434458
  • GENBANK/EF434459
  • GENBANK/EF434460
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  • GENBANK/EF434462
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