CRISPR tools found in thousands of viruses could boost gene editing
By Heidi Ledford,
Nature
| 11. 23. 2022
A systematic sweep of viral genomes has revealed a trove of potential CRISPR-based genome-editing tools.
CRISPR–Cas systems are common in the microbial world of bacteria and archaea, where they often help cells to fend off viruses. But an analysis1 published on 23 November in Cell finds CRISPR–Cas systems in 0.4% of publicly available genome sequences from viruses that can infect these microbes. Researchers think that the viruses use CRISPR–Cas to compete with one another — and potentially to manipulate gene activity in their host to their advantage.
Some of these viral systems were capable of editing plant and mammalian genomes, and possess features — such as a compact structure and efficient editing — that could make them useful in the laboratory.
“This is a significant step forward in the discovery of the enormous diversity of CRISPR–Cas systems,” says computational biologist Kira Makarova at the US National Center for Biotechnology Information in Bethesda, Maryland. “There is a lot of novelty discovered here.”
DNA-cutting defences
Although best known as a tool used to alter genomes in the laboratory, CRISPR–Cas can function...
Related Articles
By Jonathan Matthews, GMWatch | 12.11.2025
In our first article in this series, we investigated the dark PR tactics that have accompanied Colossal Bioscience’s de-extinction disinformation campaign, in which transgenic cloned grey wolves have been showcased to the world as resurrected dire wolves – a...
By Jenny Lange, BioNews | 12.01.2025
A UK toddler with a rare genetic condition was the first person to receive a new gene therapy that appears to halt disease progression.
Oliver, now three years old, has Hunter syndrome, an inherited genetic disorder that leads to physical...
By Simar Bajaj, The New York Times | 11.27.2025
A common cold was enough to kill Cora Oakley.
Born in Morristown, N.J., with virtually no immune system, Cora was diagnosed with severe combined immunodeficiency, a rare genetic condition that leaves the body without key white blood cells.
It’s better...
By Rachel Hall, The Guardian | 11.30.2025
Couples are needlessly going through IVF because male infertility is under-researched, with the NHS too often failing to diagnose treatable causes, leading experts have said.
Poor understanding among GPs and a lack of specialists and NHS testing means male infertility...
