Navigation Links
CRISPR critters: Scientists identify key enzyme in microbial immune system
Date:9/9/2010

Imagine a war in which you are vastly outnumbered by an enemy that is utterly relentless attacking you is all it does. The intro to another Terminator movie? No, just another day for microbes such as bacteria and archaea, which face a never-ending onslaught from viruses and invading strands of nucleic acid known as plasmids. To survive this onslaught, microbes deploy a variety of defense mechanisms, including an adaptive-type nucleic acid-based immune system that revolves around a genetic element known as CRISPR, which stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats.

Through the combination of CRISPR and squads of CRISPR-associated - "Cas" - proteins, microbes are able to utilize small customized RNA molecules to silence critical portions of an invader's genetic message and acquire immunity from similar invasions in the future. To better understand how this microbial immune system works, scientists have needed to know more about how CRISPR's customized small RNA molecules get produced. Answers have now been provided by a team of researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkeley.

In a study led by biochemist Jennifer Doudna, the research team used protein crystallography beamlines at Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source to produce an atomic-scale crystal structure model of an endoribonuclease called "Csy4." Doudna and her colleagues have identified Csy4 as the enzyme in prokaryotes that initiates the production of CRISPR-derived RNAs (crRNAs), the small RNA molecules that target and silence invading viruses and plasmids.

"Our model reveals that Csy4 and related endoribonucleases from the same CRISPR/Cas subfamily utilize an exquisite recognition mechanism to discriminate crRNAs from other cellular RNAs to ensure the selective production of crRNA for acquired immunity in bacteria," Doudna says. "We also found functional similarities between
'/>"/>

Contact: Lynn Yarris
lcyarris@lbl.gov
510-486-5375
DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Source:Eurekalert  

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3 4

Related biology news :

1. Jefferson scientists deliver toxic genes to effectively kill pancreatic cancer cells
2. Scientists identify novel inhibitor of human microRNA
3. Argonne scientists peer into heart of compound that may detect chemical, biological weapons
4. MU scientists go green with gold, distribute environmentally friendly nanoparticles
5. Scientists identify gene that may contribute to improved rice yield
6. Scientists discover why a mothers high-fat diet contributes to obesity in her children
7. MU scientists see how HIV matures into an infection
8. Earth scientists keep an eye on Texas
9. Thinking it through: Scientists call for policy to guide biofuels industry toward sustainability
10. Scientists identify a molecule that coordinates the movement of cells
11. Scientists Find new migratory patterns for Mediterranean and Western Atlantic bluefin tuna
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
Related Image:
CRISPR critters: Scientists identify key enzyme in microbial immune system
(Date:5/22/2013)... Early screening for prostate cancer could become as ... women, thanks to UC Irvine research published today in ... , After more than a decade of work, UC ... clinically usable markers for prostate cancer in urine, meaning ... greater accuracy and at dramatically lower cost. The same ...
(Date:5/21/2013)... monitoring" device attached to a whale entangled in fishing ... lines changed a whale,s diving and swimming behavior. The ... eat and migrate, depletes their energy as they drag ... a slow death. , The scientists in this entanglement ... a two-year-old female North Atlantic right whale called Eg ...
(Date:5/21/2013)... have found that a class of pharmaceuticals can both ... The drugs, known as "TSPO ligands," are currently used ... the effects of TSPO ligand in young adult mice ... aged mice when pathology was quite severe," said lead ... Gerontology. "TSPO ligand reduced measures of pathology and improved ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):UCI chemists devise inexpensive, accurate way to detect prostate cancer 2UCI chemists devise inexpensive, accurate way to detect prostate cancer 3Study reveals how fishing gear can cause slow death of whales 2Study reveals how fishing gear can cause slow death of whales 3Drugs found to both prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease in mice 2
... CORVALLIS, Ore. A 700-mile security wall under construction ... alter the movement and "connectivity" of wildlife, biologists say, ... populations of some species. However, technology and alterations ... animals to move more freely between the two countries, ...
... survival is now better understood. For the first time, ... National Laboratory observed the chemical changes in individual cells ... them. The team tracked the chemical changes in ... can only exist in an oxygen-free environment. They exposed ...
... has discovered a key process in cell growth that can ... assistant professor of biochemistry, found that an overabundance of the ... well as a shortage of the p53 molecule, will lead ... Plk1 molecule indirectly attacks p53 in a process called ubiquitination. ...
Cached Biology News:US-Mexico border wall could threaten wildlife species 2US-Mexico border wall could threaten wildlife species 3US-Mexico border wall could threaten wildlife species 4Scientists track chemical changes in cells as they endure extreme conditions 2Scientists track chemical changes in cells as they endure extreme conditions 3Protein can help cells or cause cancer, Purdue researcher finds 2
(Date:5/21/2013)... 22, 2013 First patients dosed ... glycopyrronium bromide designed using Prosonix, particle engineering platform ... portfolio of inhaled Respiratory Medicines by Design , ... that will assess its effect on lung function and ... with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). ...
(Date:5/21/2013)... new study led by George Washington University Professor ... of ice in small droplets is strongly size-dependent, ... the nanoscale. The formation of ice at the ... whose answer also has important implications for climate ... of ice from supercooled water is generally initiated ...
(Date:5/21/2013)... (PRWEB) May 21, 2013 Smarter Security, ... security solutions, today announced that Genzyme, a Sanofi company ... of Door Detective® CL for a multi-use facility in ... in four other Genzyme buildings, this latest order underscores ... the tailgate detection device improving doorway access ...
(Date:5/21/2013)... ROCKVILLE, Md. , May 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ ... "Phase 1 study of margetuximab (MGAH22), an Fc-modified ... solid tumors expressing the HER2 oncoprotein," will be ... American Society of Clinical Oncology during the Developmental ... June 3 at 4:15 – 4:30 PM.  The ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Prosonix Initiates Phase 2 Clinical Study with PSX1002 in Patients with Moderate to Severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) 2Prosonix Initiates Phase 2 Clinical Study with PSX1002 in Patients with Moderate to Severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) 3Prosonix Initiates Phase 2 Clinical Study with PSX1002 in Patients with Moderate to Severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) 4Study led by GW professor provides better understanding of water's freezing behavior at nanoscale 2Door Security at Genzyme, a Sanofi Company, Enhanced with Door Detective from Smarter Security 2Door Security at Genzyme, a Sanofi Company, Enhanced with Door Detective from Smarter Security 3MacroGenics Announces Margetuximab (MGAH22) Phase 1 Data Presentation at ASCO; Initiates Phase 2 Clinical Study to Evaluate Activity of Margetuximab in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer 2MacroGenics Announces Margetuximab (MGAH22) Phase 1 Data Presentation at ASCO; Initiates Phase 2 Clinical Study to Evaluate Activity of Margetuximab in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer 3
... June 29 Kornberg Associates | Architects ( www.kornberg.com ... to design a new Cognitive & Neurobiological Imaging Center. ... firm has worked with Stanford University since 1980 ... one of which is the two-story, 32,000 square-foot office building ...
... ... odor elimination, exterior plastic trim and headlight restoration products to the Automotive, RV and ... a myriad of industries, to introduce these innovative and eco-friendly products to the pan-national ... ...
... ... 30-Friday, October 2, 2009. , ... Portland, Maine (PRWEB) June 26, 2009 -- IntertechPira, in conjunction with the ... an International conference bringing together hydrogen producers, developers and users to discuss the future ...
Cached Biology Technology:Kornberg Associates Architects Selected to Develop Design for New Stanford University Imaging Center 2MEDS World, LLC Provides Multiple Environments with Designed Solutions - Wherever People Congregate, MEDS Odor Elimination Solutions Offer Eco-Friendly, Odor-Free Air 2MEDS World, LLC Provides Multiple Environments with Designed Solutions - Wherever People Congregate, MEDS Odor Elimination Solutions Offer Eco-Friendly, Odor-Free Air 3Industry Leaders Will Gather to Discuss the Future of the "Hydrogen Economy" in Washington DC 2
... 2000 Capillary Electrophoresis System uses revolutionary ... electrophoresis (SPE), urine protein electrophoresis and ... accurate analysis. The system is truly ... and no staining to process patient ...
The filter 695RDF55 Reflect 635 for the Molecular Imager FX is a band pass filter for Cy5 and Alexa Fluor 635 dyes....
... UltraClean Plant DNA Kit is designed for ... DNA from plant cells and tissues. The ... replaces cumbersome DNA isolation procedures such as ... UltraClean procedure, alcohol precipitation is not necessary ...
... The ApopTag Red In Situ Apoptosis ... by the indirect TUNEL method, utilizing ... fluorochrome. The kit provides indirect immunofluorescence ... analyzed using either fluorescence microscopy or ...
Biology Products: