Development of new CRISPR-based genome engineering technologies

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K20579
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Pioneering)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 43:Biology at molecular to cellular levels, and related fields
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Nishimasu Hiroshi 東京大学, 先端科学技術研究センター, 教授 (00467044)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-07-30 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: CRISPR / クライオ電子顕微鏡

Outline of Final Research Achievements

CRISPR-Cas enzyme complexes involved in the prokaryotic CRISPR-Cas adaptive immune system recognize and cleave target nucleic acids complementary to RNA guides. Thus, they have been applied to various technologies such as genome editing. In this research project, we performed structural and functional analyses of CRISPR-Cas complexes, such as Cas12k, Cas13bt3, Cas7-11, and Cas7-11-Csx29, elucidating their diverse action mechanisms. In addition, we determined the structure of IscB, providing insights into the molecular evolution of CRISPR-Cas9.

Free Research Field

構造生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究において決定した複数のCRISPR-Cas複合体の立体構造と、それらに基づく機能解析の結果、新たな作動メカニズムが明らかになった。したがって、本研究成果により、CRISPR-Cas酵素の多様性に関する理解が大きく推進した。さらに、本研究で得られた構造情報は新規の技術開発の基盤として期待される。