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The Antiviral System of Bacteria and Archaea: CRISPR01:23

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CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats is a adaptive immune system found in bacteria and archaea that protects against viral infections. This system enables prokaryotic cells to identify, remember, and neutralize foreign genetic elements, primarily bacteriophages, by storing fragments of the invader’s DNA as a genetic memory.The CRISPR immune response begins during an initial infection. Cas (CRISPR-associated) proteins play a central role in this...
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Bacteria and archaea are susceptible to viral infections just like eukaryotes; therefore, they have developed a unique adaptive immune system to protect themselves. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR-associated proteins (CRISPR-Cas) are present in more than 45% of known bacteria and 90% of known archaea.
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The CRISPR-Cas system serves as a bacterial defense mechanism against invading genetic elements such as viruses and plasmids, forming the foundation for its adaptation as a powerful genome-editing tool. Originally discovered in prokaryotes, this system has been repurposed to revolutionize genetic engineering across a wide range of organisms, including plants, animals, and humans. The core component, Cas9, is an endonuclease derived from Streptococcus pyogenes, capable of introducing...
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Genome editing technologies allow scientists to modify an organism’s DNA via the addition, removal, or rearrangement of genetic material at specific genomic locations. These types of techniques could potentially be used to cure genetic disorders such as hemophilia and sickle cell anemia. One popular and widely used DNA-editing research tool that could lead to safe and effective cures for genetic disorders is the CRISPR-Cas9 system. CRISPR-Cas9 stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced...
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CRISPR-induced distributed immunity in microbial populations.

Lauren M Childs1, Whitney E England2, Mark J Young3

  • 1Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics, Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.

Plos One
|July 8, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

CRISPR-Cas immunity in microbes drives "distributed immunity," promoting host diversity and stability against viral infections. This adaptive defense system leads to coevolutionary dynamics not explained by traditional models.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbial Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Viruses are major pathogens for bacteria and archaea.
  • CRISPR-Cas systems provide adaptive immunity in microbes against viral invaders.
  • Traditional models inadequately explain CRISPR-Cas-mediated host-virus coevolutionary dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce and define the concept of distributed immunity.
  • To investigate the emergence and dynamics of distributed immunity using eco-evolutionary modeling.
  • To demonstrate the impact of distributed immunity on microbial community stability and viral population dynamics.

Main Methods:

  • Developed an eco-evolutionary modeling framework to quantify distributed immunity.
  • Simulated multi-strain communities of hosts and viruses under CRISPR-Cas coevolution.
  • Analyzed sequence diversity in experimental coevolution of Streptococcus thermophilus and viruses.

Main Results:

  • CRISPR-Cas mediated immunity facilitates the emergence of distributed immunity (coexistence of multiple immune alleles).
  • Distributed immunity promotes sustained host diversity and community stability.
  • This phenomenon leads to decreased viral population density and potential extinction, particularly with low viral mutation rates.

Conclusions:

  • Distributed immunity is a novel evolutionary mode driven by CRISPR-Cas adaptive immunity.
  • This emergent phenomenon is crucial for maintaining diversity and stability in microbial communities.
  • Experimental data confirms the rapid emergence of distributed immunity in Streptococcus thermophilus-virus systems.