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Distribution and Mechanism of the Type I CRISPR-Cas Systems

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Abstract

Although the CRISPR type I system encompasses six different subtypes (I-A to I-F), only three subtypes have been studied in detail to date. This review includes an analysis of the distribution of CRISPR-Cas systems among the different bacterial and archaeal lineages, and will focus on our mechanistic understanding of the type I-E system of Escherichia coli. We will cover the overall organization of this system, starting with a detailed description of a typical type I-E gene cluster and its associated CRISPR array. In addition, we will describe recent insights on the three different stages in CRISPR-Cas type I-mediated defense: adaptation, expression and crRNA maturation, and interference. A comparison will be presented of the physical and functional characteristics of CRISPR effector complexes from the various subtypes.

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Correspondence to Stan J. J. Brouns .

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Staals, R.H.J., Brouns, S.J.J. (2013). Distribution and Mechanism of the Type I CRISPR-Cas Systems. In: Barrangou, R., van der Oost, J. (eds) CRISPR-Cas Systems. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-34657-6_6

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