[3S02a] 05. Genome Editing Technology and its Applications - Part 2

2:00 PM - 2:20 PM JST(5:00 AM - 5:20 AM UTC)

[3GET-08-KL] Isolation and Characterization of the novel CRISPR-Cas systems from metagenomic sequences from seas and hot springs

○Yoshizumi Ishino^1,2,3, Aoi Tanaka¹, Osamu Kikko¹, Shunsuke Matsumoto¹, Hisanori Nasu⁴, Sonoko Ishino^1,2, Tomoyuki Numata¹ (1. Kyushu Univ (Japan), 2. Nagahama Inst Bio-Sci Tech (Japan), 3. Inst Sci Tokyo (Japan), 4. Japan Software Management (Japan))

Keywords:

CRISPR-Cas,metagenome,functional diversity,small effector,reconstitution

Genome editing technology utilizing the CRISPR-Cas system is spreading rapidly and becoming popular as a major genetic engineering technology in the current post-genomic era due to its ease of use and high efficiency in transforming target genes. The physiological function of CRISPR-Cas is believed to be a biological defense mechanism protecting host cells from foreign viruses and plasmids, and is considered to be the acquired immunity of prokaryotes. Using this molecular mechanism, if crRNA is designed to match the sequence of the target gene, the Cas effector, acting like scissors, is recruited to the target gene using homologous sequences, resulting in a double-strand break of the target gene. Subsequently, the cell's own repair mechanisms are used to rejoin the cleaved DNA. The CRISPR-Cas system exhibits remarkable diversity, and based on its characteristics, it has been divided into two classes, each further classified into three types. It has been proposed that each type can be further divided into many subtypes. Since different types have different structures and functional mechanisms, analyzing them can lead to applications in different genome editing technologies and other genetic engineering technologies. In this presentation, we will introduce you several novel CRISPR-Cas systems, including those with high thermostability and a wide functional temperature range, as well as those that act as remarkably small effector molecules, identified from our own metagenomic sequence library based on the samples from sea waters and hot spring waters and will discuss their properties based on our biochemical characterizations.