Genome editing in mammalian cells using the CRISPR type I-D nuclease

Adoption of CRISPR–Cas systems, such as CRISPR–Cas9 and CRISPR–Cas12a, has revolutionized genome engineering in recent years; however, application of genome editing with CRISPR type I—the most abundant CRISPR system in bacteria—remains less developed. Type I systems, such as type I-E, and I-F, comprise the CRISPR-associated complex for antiviral defense (‘Cascade’: Cas5, Cas6, Cas7, Cas8 and the small subunit) and Cas3, which degrades the target DNA; in contrast, for the sub-type CRISPR–Cas type I-D, which lacks a typical Cas3 nuclease in its CRISPR locus, the mechanism of target DNA degradation remains unknown. Here, we found that Cas10d is a functional nuclease in the type I-D system, performing the role played by Cas3 in other CRISPR–Cas type I systems. The type I-D system can be used for targeted mutagenesis of genomic DNA in human cells, directing both bi-directional long-range deletions and short insertions/deletions. Our findings suggest the CRISPR–Cas type I-D system as a unique effector pathway in CRISPR that can be repurposed for genome engineering in eukaryotic cells.

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