CasPEDIA, an Online Resource Offers Summary Information on Class 2 Cas Enzymes

Since the development of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing in 2012, the toolkit has expanded with dozens of Cas enzymes and variants available to researchers. This could be overwhelming at times, and researchers could easily miss an enzyme. Jennifer Doudna's laboratory at the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) launched CasPEDIA, a new resource tool that will help solve this problem.

CasPEDIA is an online, searchable resource that provides summary information on Class 2 Cas enzymes. The information is organized in wiki format and includes biochemical properties, previously established uses, and intended applications. CasPEDIA also offers a classification system, CasID, to help facilitate direct comparison of different enzymes. CasPEDIA is a constantly updating database that serves as a resource for the scientific community.

CasPEDIA entries include the following information for a Cas enzyme: nuclease properties (CasID): Cis/trans activity, PAM requirement, gRNA, and multiplex ability; experimental guidelines and applications; protein structure and properties; and links to relevant resources. CasPEDIA operates like many search engines, featuring both a general search bar tool and an advanced search option. For a general search, users simply type in identifier keywords (Cas name, RefSeq ID, etc.) to see a table of protein entry results. For the advanced search options, a series of drop-down menus are available.

For more details, read the article on the IGI website. CasPEDIA is available here.