Research progress of nucleic acid detection based on CRISPR/Cas technology

Abstract:

The CRISPR/Cas system, an adaptive immune system widely found in most bacteria and archaea, is composed of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated protein (Cas). The CRISPR/Cas system can recognize and bind foreign invading nucleic acid. Then the cleavage activity of Cas protein is activated that can cleave and degrade the invasive nucleic acid. The specific sequence recognition and cleavage activity of the CRISPR/Cas system is applied to nucleic acid detection that provides a new research idea to improve detection performance such as detection sensitivity and specificity. This study introduces the development of the CRISPR/Cas system, its mechanism of action, etc. In addition, we also summarize the representative applications of diversified Cas proteins in nucleic acid detection. The advantages and disadvantages of CRISPR/Cas technology in nucleic acid detection are discussed, and future research is proposed. In sum, this review aims to provide references for the detection of pathogenic microorganisms by using a nucleic acid detection method based on CRISPR/Cas technology.