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Wu Q, Cui L, Liu Y, Li R, Dai M, Xia Z, Wu M. CRISPR-Cas systems target endogenous genes to impact bacterial physiology and alter mammalian immune responses. MOLECULAR BIOMEDICINE 2022; 3:22. [PMID: 35854035 PMCID: PMC9296731 DOI: 10.1186/s43556-022-00084-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
CRISPR-Cas systems are an immune defense mechanism that is widespread in archaea and bacteria against invasive phages or foreign genetic elements. In the last decade, CRISPR-Cas systems have been a leading gene-editing tool for agriculture (plant engineering), biotechnology, and human health (e.g., diagnosis and treatment of cancers and genetic diseases), benefitted from unprecedented discoveries of basic bacterial research. However, the functional complexity of CRISPR systems is far beyond the original scope of immune defense. CRISPR-Cas systems are implicated in influencing the expression of physiology and virulence genes and subsequently altering the formation of bacterial biofilm, drug resistance, invasive potency as well as bacterial own physiological characteristics. Moreover, increasing evidence supports that bacterial CRISPR-Cas systems might intriguingly influence mammalian immune responses through targeting endogenous genes, especially those relating to virulence; however, unfortunately, their underlying mechanisms are largely unclear. Nevertheless, the interaction between bacterial CRISPR-Cas systems and eukaryotic cells is complex with numerous mysteries that necessitate further investigation efforts. Here, we summarize the non-canonical functions of CRISPR-Cas that potentially impact bacterial physiology, pathogenicity, antimicrobial resistance, and thereby altering the courses of mammalian immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qun Wu
- Department of Pediatrics, Ruijin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, 58203-9037, USA
| | - Luqing Cui
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, 58203-9037, USA
- The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, P. R. China
| | - Yingying Liu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, 58203-9037, USA
| | - Rongpeng Li
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Medicinal Plants of Jiangsu Province, School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, 221116, China
| | - Menghong Dai
- The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, P. R. China.
| | - Zhenwei Xia
- Department of Pediatrics, Ruijin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China.
| | - Min Wu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, 58203-9037, USA.
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