Experts Discover New CRISPR-Cas Systems
March 19, 2025| |
Duke University and North Carolina State University researchers reported their breakthrough in finding new CRISPR-Cas systems in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
One of the promising CRISPR components is called SubCas9. It was isolated from Streptococcus uberis, a bacterium that is commonly found in dairy cows that are also used in some human probiotic products. According to the researchers, SubCas9 is smaller than the traditionally used Cas9. This means that it could more easily be loaded into delivery systems that efficiently transfer cargo to human tissues. It can also target different genetic sequences than its original counterpart. Furthermore, S. uberis is not common in humans compared to the other bacteria from where Cas9 proteins were isolated. Therefore, the human immune system would not recognize SubCas9 from a previous exposure if it were to be used in therapeutic applications.
“Besides potential for therapeutic applications, we also appreciate that bacteria that have adapted to diverse habitats harbor effectors better suited for various kinds of hosts, with much potential for discovery of systems more suited for plants, livestock and environmental applications,” said Rodolphe Barrangou, one of the researchers.
Read more from Duke University.
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