U3 AOS 1: CRISPR-Cas9

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CRISPR-Cas9

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A revolutionary gene-editing technology that allows for precise, directed changes to genomic DNA.

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Bacteriophage

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A type of virus that infects bacteria.

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Cas9 (endonuclease)

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An enzyme that acts as molecular scissors to cut DNA at a specific location.

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Purpose of CRISPR-Cas9 in bacteria

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Originally a defense mechanism against bacteriophages, allowing bacteria to cut and remember viral DNA.

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Spacer DNA

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Sequences of DNA that are interspersed between CRISPR repeats and are derived from previous viral invaders.

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Protospacer

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The sequence in the viral genome that corresponds to the spacer DNA in the CRISPR array.

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PAM (protospacer adjacent motif)

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A short DNA sequence following the DNA region targeted for cleavage by the CRISPR system.

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Guide RNA (gRNA)

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RNA molecule that guides the Cas9 enzyme to the correct part of the genome to cut.

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Hairpin loop

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A structure formed by base pairing within a single strand of RNA, often found in gRNA.

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CRISPR-Cas9 complex

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The combination of the Cas9 enzyme and the guide RNA that together can edit DNA.