CRISPR & editing
CRISPR repeats conserve RNA-like structure
Open access · cc by · source: Europe PMC
CRISPR repeats across microbes form clusters with conserved sequence and predicted RNA secondary structure.
How this study connects
Role on claims
Each row is a claim on a concept or method page where this paper supports, challenges, or qualifies the statement. Roles are hand-checked — not a model guess.
Native CRISPR arrays can be studied as sequence and predicted RNA structure without any editing experiment. A scan of 439 genomes found 561 arrays in 195 genomes; some repeat clusters had consistently high folding potential, taken as support for RNA intermediates — computational structure, not a Cas9 knockout.
Evidence for the claim as stated.
The strongest tension is naming. The 2007 array paper and the Listeria pan-genome treat CRISPR as a genomic feature of bacteria; the Cas13a and dCas9 papers treat CRISPR–Cas as a laboratory tool. Both usages are historically connected, but a finding about repeat RNA folding does not license a claim about editing a human promoter, and a CasIP result does not catalogue environmental CRISPR diversity.
Evidence for the claim as stated.
Open questions
Tensions this paper is part of
From concept pages' “where studies disagree.” Disagreement means the same question; scope means different assays, populations, or outcomes.
The strongest tension is naming. The 2007 array paper and the Listeria pan-genome treat CRISPR as a genomic feature of bacteria; the Cas13a and dCas9 papers treat CRISPR–Cas as a laboratory tool. Both usages are historically connected, but a finding about repeat RNA folding does not license a claim about editing a human promoter, and a CasIP result does not catalogue environmental CRISPR diversity.
- Supports · Can Cas13a fight RNA viruses in plants?
- Supports · FLI1 circRNA FECR1 drives metastasis
- Supports · How open is the Listeria pan-genome?
Study at a glance
- Design
- Computational / modelling — Genome-wide CRISPR array detection and repeat secondary-structure scoring
- N
- N=439 · 439 bacterial/archaeal genomes; 561 arrays in 195 genomes
- Population
- Bacterial and archaeal sequenced genomes
- Outcome
- Conserved CRISPR repeat sequence/structure features across clusters
Structured fields used in claim comparison tables when every cited study has a complete layer.
Inspect source passages
CRISPR repeats conserve RNA-like structure
These passages occur verbatim in the stored paper text. They support the points listed below; they do not verify every statement in the explanation.
CRISPR repeats and spacers.
CRISPRs) are repetitive structures in Bacteria and Archaea composed of exact repeat sequences 24 to 48 bases long (herein called repeats) separated by unique spacers of similar length (herein called spacers) [,].
439 bacterial/archaeal genomes.
CRISPR composition [,]. Up to 45 gene families, called CRISPR-associated sequences (CASs), appear in conjunction with these repeats and are hypothesized to be responsible for CRISPR propagation and functioning [,,].
Key findings
561 arrays in 195 genomes; some repeat clusters show consistently high folding potential supporting RNA intermediates.
Methodology
Scanned 439 genomes for CRISPR arrays and folded repeats to compare structure scores across clusters.
Limitations
Structure is computational prediction, not direct RNA structure proof for every array.
Related papers in this topic
Same topic cluster — not a recommendation engine.