CRISPR Acts as Commander-In-Chief for Backup Defenses in Bacteria

CRISPR Acts as Commander-In-Chief for Backup Defenses in Bacteria

By Kelly Malcom The main function of CRISPR-Cas systems, the revolutionary tool scientists now employ to edit genes, is to defend bacteria against threats such as viruses called bacteriophages. Researchers have continued to study all flavors of CRISPR-Cas systems (to date, 2 classes, 7 types and 46 subtypes have been identified) to understand all their capabilities. A new paper from the lab of Yan Zhang, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biological …