CRISPR stands for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats. In 2007, researchers discovered that these repeating DNA sequences (18 to 52 base pairs long) in bacterial genomes are part of a bacterial immune response that protects against viruses called bacteriophages. Another key component of this immune response is a set of proteins called CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins. These proteins play a role in maintaining the immune response and destroying viral DNA.
The process begins when Cas proteins capture a short piece of DNA from an invading virus and insert it between the repeating CRISPR sequences in the bacterial genome. These sequences are then transcribed into RNA, which is cut into short guide RNAs that match specific sections of the viral genome. Cas proteins with DNA-cutting ability (nucleases) use these guide RNAs to locate and cut the DNA of the invading virus, preventing the bacterial cell from succumbing to the infection.
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