cleavage mechanisms — Posts

Solving a targeting puzzle: Type III-B DNA cleavage

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?

Sarah StuderJanuary 11, 2022paper, type iii paper, type iii, Solving a targeting puzzle, cleavage mechanisms

A look at a Cas3 HD domain

In the news you might only hear about CRISPR-Cas9, but there are actually several types of CRISPR systems – and the most common are Type I systems, defined by the cas3 gene. In 2011, Sabin Mulepati, then a PhD student, and Scott Bailey were used x-ray crystallography and biochemical analysis to characterize the HD domain of the Thermus thermophilus Cas3 – read on to learn what they found out.

Sarah StuderMarch 24, 2021paper, type i paper, type i, cleavage mechanisms