Cas9 Protein

The second component of this technology is the CRISPR-associated (Cas) nuclease.

The Cas protein is a non-specific endonuclease, or an enzyme that cleaves the DNA using base pairing techniques to recognize the strand running complementary to the gRNA strand.

• • It is directed to a specific region of the DNA by the gRNA where it creates a double stranded break.

  • There are many different versions of Cas nucleases originiating from different strains of bacteria

    • • Cas9, the most commonly used nuclease, originates from Streptococcus pyogenes.

      • Other important Cas nucleases include Cas12a and Cas13- all used for intentional sequence changing.