Type III CRISPR systems are unusual in part because they have multiple mechanisms for cleaving nucleic acids, and target both RNA and DNA, but the latter only in a transcription-dependent matter. A 2016 paper from the Bailey lab in Genes and Development filled in key pieces of the puzzle about Type III systems, helping to clarify two major questions: What are the specific RNA and DNA targets of Type III complex? And what mechanisms control and coordinate the RNA and DNA cleavage activities?
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