Advances in Industrial Biotechnology Using CRISPR-Cas Systems

Abstract

The term 'clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats' (CRISPR) has recently become synonymous with the genome-editing revolution. The RNA-guided endonuclease CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9), in particular, has attracted attention for its promise in basic research and gene editing-based therapeutics. CRISPR-Cas systems are efficient and easily programmable nucleic acid-targeting tools, with uses reaching beyond research and therapeutic development into the precision breeding of plants and animals and the engineering of industrial microbes. CRISPR-Cas systems have potential for many microbial engineering applications, including bacterial strain typing, immunization of cultures, autoimmunity or self-targeted cell killing, and the engineering or control of metabolic pathways for improved biochemical synthesis. In this review, we explore the fundamental characteristics of CRISPR-Cas systems and highlight how these features can be used in industrial settings.

Escherichia coli as a host for metabolic engineering

“…Over the past several years, extensive development of CRISPR/Cas systems has led to the emergence of efficient nucleotide manipulation strategies that function in eukaryotes and prokaryotes (Choi and Lee, 2016;Mougiakos et al, 2018;Donohoue et al, 2017) (Fig. 2).…”

Genetically Modified Micro-Organisms for Industrial Food Enzyme Production: An Overview

“…Using endogenous repair pathways, the genomic DNA can either be altered by introducing mutations or by introducing a specific donor sequence. This is mediated by the non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) DNA repair mechanism or by the homologous repair (HR) system [43,44]. In contrast to eukaryotes, the NHEJ DNA repair system is absent in most bacteria.…”

“…Therefore, these bacteria are unable to repair the CRISPR/Cas9-mediated breaks, resulting in the death of wild-type strains [45]. This allows the CRISPR/Cas9 system to be used for selection of recombinant strains and as an alternative to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes [44].…”

Modeling Three-Dimensional Geometric Shapes from Nucleic Acid Sequences Using a Computerized Numerical Control

“…Recently, DNA has been used in the preservation and encoding of multiple types of information, ranging from ordinary personal computer files with any extensions [12], to digital productions files aimed for long-term storage [13]. This recent biotechnological science has been considered recently as a new area and has occupied the scientist concern on how to use DNA for storing and encrypting information and data with a standardized format that can be widely distributed in larger scales across the biotechnology industry [14][15][16].…”