In 2014, three labs completed structures of different versions of the Cascade complex, in three papers published at the same time – including one led by Sabin Mulepati, a then-PhD student in the Bailey lab. Sabin used x-ray crystallography to determine the structure of Cascade bound to a single strand of target DNA that matched the Cascade crRNA, to a resolution of 3 angstroms.
Read MoreIn 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.
Read MoreCRISPR array spacers need to be in the correct orientation for the CRISPR system to work. In a new paper, our lab showed that in E. coli, asymmetrical trimming of prespacer overhangs by certain exonucleases helps the system insert spacers correctly.
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