Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Substrate Generation for Endonucleases of CRISPR/Cas Systems
Published on: September 8, 2012
Anti-CRISPRs: The natural inhibitors for CRISPR-Cas systems
Fei Zhang1,2, Guoxu Song1, Yong Tian1,2
1CAS Key Laboratory of RNA Biology Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China.
Abstract:
CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)-Cas (CRISPR associated protein) systems serve as the adaptive immune system by which prokaryotes defend themselves against phages. It has also been developed into a series of powerful gene-editing tools. As the natural inhibitors of CRISPR-Cas systems, anti-CRISPRs (Acrs) can be used as the "off-switch" for CRISPR-Cas systems to limit the off-target effects caused by Cas9. Since the discovery of CRISPR-Cas systems, much research has focused on the identification, mechanisms and applications of Acrs. In light of the rapid development and scientific significance of this field, this review summarizes the history and research status of Acrs, and considers future applications.
Related Concept Videos
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
The Antiviral System of Bacteria and Archaea: CRISPR
CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing
Eukaryotic Transcription Inhibitors
Eukaryotic transcription inhibitors usually contain two distinct domains, a...
What is Natural Selection?

