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First full views of a CRISPR-guided system for gene insertion

CRISPR–Cas is a bacterial defence system that can attack invading DNA to protect host cells, or help to insert DNA safely into the genome. Structures of this latter type of CRISPR–Cas system have now been visualized.
  1. Orsolya Barabas

    1. Orsolya Barabas is in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.

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  2. Phoebe A. Rice

    1. Phoebe A. Rice is in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.

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Cooperation between rival forces changed the course of history to secure an Allied victory in the Second World War. Now two studies (one in Nature1 and one in Cell2) reveal the essence of enemy cooperation in a different setting: the battle between bacterial defence systems called CRISPR–Cas and DNA from invaders. The authors visualize structures of a CRISPR–Cas complex that steers invading DNA to sites in the bacterial genome that suit both the invader and the host. The ability to add DNA sequences to specific genomic sites is valuable for modifying cells and organisms according to scientists’ requirements. As such, the new blueprints are great news for research.

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Nature 613, 634-635 (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-04584-6

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Competing Interests

O.B. was the PhD supervisor of Irma Querques (2014–18), a co-author of one of the papers discussed in this News & Views (ref. 2), before she joined the Jinek lab for her postdoctoral training in 2019.

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