Part:BBa_K4223019
Cas13a protein-coding gene
Mechanism of action of Cas13a: After the CRISPR-Cas13 system binds to crRNA and substrate to form a ternary complex, Cas13 protein is activated, at which time Cas13 protein can cut not only substrate RNA but also any single-stranded RNA that is free within the environment. cas13a protein and Cas13b protein are RNA enzymes, and Cas13a and Cas13b based Cas13b assays require the transcription step of RNA polymerase.
Cas13a, which requires only 24 bases of crRNA, interacts with the Cas13a molecule through a uracil-rich stem-loop structure and facilitates cleavage of the target through a series of conformational changes in Cas13a. Like Cas9, Cas13a tolerates a single mismatch between the crRNA and the target sequence, although if 2 mismatches are present, then the efficiency of cleavage is greatly reduced. Its PFS sequence (equivalent to the PAM sequence) is located at the 3' end of the spacer region and consists of A, U or C bases.
Another special feature of Cas13a is that once Cas13a recognizes and cleaves the RNA target specified by the crRNA sequence, it enters an enzymatic "activated" state where it will bind and cleave other RNAs regardless of their homology to crRNA or the presence of PFS. This is very different from Cas9. In the case of bacteria, this property makes sense. If a bacterium is infected by a phage, it is able to activate programmed cell death or a dormant state to limit the spread of the infection throughout the population.
Like Cas13a, Cas13b requires only a single guide RNA to find its target and is codable from a genetic standpoint. In addition, Cas13b is capable of targeting multiple RNA transcripts simultaneously. However, Cas13b also has some unique features that suggest it is distinct from Cas13a. These features make Cas13b more suitable for fine-tuning gene function
Sequence and Features
- 10INCOMPATIBLE WITH RFC[10]Illegal PstI site found at 1063
Illegal PstI site found at 1918
Illegal PstI site found at 2857 - 12INCOMPATIBLE WITH RFC[12]Illegal PstI site found at 1063
Illegal PstI site found at 1918
Illegal PstI site found at 2857 - 21INCOMPATIBLE WITH RFC[21]Illegal BglII site found at 344
Illegal BglII site found at 1280
Illegal BglII site found at 1490
Illegal BglII site found at 1544
Illegal BglII site found at 1775
Illegal BglII site found at 2048
Illegal BglII site found at 2534 - 23INCOMPATIBLE WITH RFC[23]Illegal PstI site found at 1063
Illegal PstI site found at 1918
Illegal PstI site found at 2857 - 25INCOMPATIBLE WITH RFC[25]Illegal PstI site found at 1063
Illegal PstI site found at 1918
Illegal PstI site found at 2857
Illegal NgoMIV site found at 1996
Illegal NgoMIV site found at 2632 - 1000COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[1000]
| None |