CRISPR-Cas9 · Programmable DNA Cleavage

STREPTOCOCCUS PYOGENES Cas9 — TYPE II-A CRISPR SYSTEM

Cas9 is a programmable, RNA-guided endonuclease. The 20-nucleotide spacer in the sgRNA determines the target; a 5'-NGG-3' PAM on the non-target strand is required for engagement. Full sgRNA:DNA complementarity activates the HNH and RuvC nucleases, producing a blunt double-strand break that the cell repairs by NHEJ (typically introducing indels) or HDR (precise, template-dependent).

Click any badge to inspect a component. References: Jinek et al. (2012) · Anders et al. (2014) · Sternberg et al. (2014) · Doudna & Charpentier (2014)