The Year in CRISPRs - 3

W E L C O M E

T

to The Year in CRISPRs eBook

he news was full of CRISPR developments in 2015. New insights

eschew cutting altogether, and instead accomplish the targeted acetylation

into the structures and mechanisms of CRISPR systems were

of histones, extending CRISPR's range from the genomic to the epigenomic.

reported. New tools and techniques were introduced. And new

These and other articles focus on the "business end" of any CRISPR

applications were explored.

system-the RNA-guided endonuclease, typically Cas9. It can be modified,
by means of dimerization or the creation of fusion constructs, or it can

The newest CRISPR developments usually appear in peer-reviewed

be replaced by endonucleases with distinct DNA-cutting properties.

studies that emphasize incremental improvements. These studies tend

For example, an endonuclease called Cpf1 leaves staggered cuts, avoiding

to be highly focused and technically oriented, and hence fairly narrow.

the blunt ends that can leave double-stranded DNA prone to fraying,

Taken as a whole, however, CRISPR studies form a broad and steadily

removing one source of error from genetic editing.

advancing front, as this ebook demonstrates.
Finally, this ebook touches on the basic science of CRISPR, the front
Although it presents just a handful of articles about CRISPR advances,

along which future breakthroughs may occur, provided the advance

this ebook reflects the breadth of CRISPR studies published in 2015.

guard is reinforced by the rank and file. In this case, the advance guard

For example, it includes articles that describe how CRISPR system

includes CRISPR stalwart Jennifer Doudna, Ph.D., who led a team that

components may be modified to reduce off-target cutting activity or to

clarified the molecular basis of CRISPR-Cas9's seek-and-cleave activity.
The Year in CRISPRs

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Year in CRISPRs
