A New CRISPR System for RNA

While the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system has been “burning up the charts”, so to speak, with its extraordinary versatility and potential for treating a host of diseases, until now its editing capabilities have been limited to DNA. Whereas DNA editing makes permanent changes to the genome of a cell, a CRISPR-based RNA-targeting approach would allow investigators to make temporary changes that can be tuned up or down, and with greater specificity and functionality than existing methods for RNA interference. The research team was able to identify and functionally characterize C2c2, an RNA-guided enzyme capable of targeting and degrading RNA. Their findings revealed that C2c2—the first naturally occurring CRISPR system that targets only RNA to have been identified and initially discovered by this collaborative group in October 2015—helps protect bacteria against viral infection. The scientists were able to demonstrate that C2c2 can be programmed to cleave particular RNA sequences in bacterial cells, making it a valuable addition to the molecular biology toolbox.