Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 2, 2026

Genome Editing in Mammalian Cell Lines using CRISPR-Cas
Published on: April 11, 2019
[The CRISPR-Cas system: beyond genome editing]
Félix R Croteau1, Geneviève M Rousseau2, Sylvain Moineau1
1Département de biochimie, de microbiologie, et de bio-informatique, faculté des sciences et de génie, groupe de recherche en écologie buccale, faculté de médecine dentaire, Université Laval, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada - Félix d'Hérelle reference center for bacterial viruses, faculté de médecine dentaire, Université Laval, 1045 avenue de la Médecine, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada.
Abstract:
CRISPR-Cas is an adaptive immune system used by many microbes to defend against nucleic acids invasion such as viral genomes. The microbial system uses its CRISPR locus to store genetic information that will generate short CRISPR RNAs. The latter with endonucleases (Cas) prevent future viral infections. Parts of this system were exploited to develop a powerful genome editing tool that was adapted for a variety of organisms. The ability of the CRISPR-Cas9 technology to effectively and precisely cut a targeted genomic DNA region has the potential to may be one day cure genetic diseases. The malleability of this editing tool also offers a wide range of possibilities from modulations of gene expression to epigenetic modifications. The natural CRISPR loci found in bacteria can be used to differentiate microbial strains or to study the interactions between bacteria and its habitat. Addressing CRISPR-Cas fundamentals in microbes and its popular use in eukaryotes, this review presents an update on a system that has revolutionized biological sciences.
Related Concept Videos
CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing
CRISPR and crRNAs
The CRISPR-Cas system stores a copy of foreign DNA in the host genome and uses it to identify the foreign DNA upon reinfection. CRISPR-Cas has three different...
CRISPR
RNA Editing
Genomics
Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...

