The eukaryotic way to defend and edit genomes by sRNA-targeted DNA deletion

Swart, Estienne Carl; Nowacki, Mariusz (2015). The eukaryotic way to defend and edit genomes by sRNA-targeted DNA deletion. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1341, pp. 106-114. Blackwell 10.1111/nyas.12636

Text Swart_et_al-2015-Annals_of_the_New_York_Academy_of_Sciences.pdf - Published Version Restricted to registered users only Available under License Publisher holds Copyright. Download (340kB)

While there is currently burgeoning interest in the application of the CRISPR/Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated genes) to genome editing, it is perhaps not widely appreciated that this is the second discovery of a small RNA (sRNA)-targeted DNA-deletion system. The first sRNA-targeted DNA-deletion system to be discovered, which we call IES/Ias (internal eliminated sequence/IES-associated genes) to contrast with CRISPR/Cas, is found in ciliates, and, like CRISPR/Cas, is thought to serve as a form of immune defense against invasive DNAs. The manner in which the ciliate IES/Ias system functions is distinct from that of the CRISPR/Cas system in archaea and bacteria, and arose independently through a synthesis of RNA interference-derived and DNA-specific molecular components. Despite the major differences between CRISPR/Cas and IES/Ias, both systems face similar conceptual challenges in targeting invasive DNAs. In this review, we focus on the discovery, effects, function, and evolutionary consequences of the IES/Ias system.

Interest & Impact

Downloads

3 since deposited on 18 Aug 2015
0 in the past 12 months

Citations

5 Citations in Web of Science ®
6 Citations in Scopus

Search

in Google Scholar™

Services

Actions (login required)

Edit item

Actions (login required)

Edit item