What’s In a Name? CRISPR Edition

CRISPR seems to be everywhere these days. Doubtless, you’ve come across it. But have you ever wondered where the name comes from?

CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats. Let’s break it down. The term was coined by microbiologist Dr. Francisco Mojica to describe a unique pattern of DNA observed in bacterial genomes.

• Clustered refers to the arrangement of these regions within the genome—they aren’t scattered randomly but grouped together.
• Regularly Interspaced describes the pattern of these repeated sequences which are interspaced with unique DNA segments called spacers. (Scientists later discovered that these spacers serve as a genetic memory of past encounters with viruses or other foreign genetic elements.)
• Short Palindromic Repeats highlight the distinctive palindrome-like structure of these repeated sequences. Palindromes are sequences that read the same forward and backward, and these repeats exhibit such symmetry.

For years, scientists knew about these regions but weren’t sure what purpose they served. In 2011, Dr. Jennifer Doudna and Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier discovered that these CRISPR regions play a vital role in the immune systems of most prokaryotes. They also identified an enzyme tightly linked to the CRISPR region, which they called Cas for “CRISPR-associated protein.” In bacteria and archaea, Cas enzymes cut and destroy foreign DNA and are guided by nucleotide sequences stored in CRISPR regions. These discoveries paved the way for the development of a powerful new gene editing system that uses the Cas nuclease. This technology is often called CRISPR-Cas genome editing technology

CRISPR has become synonymous with the technology because, let’s face it, saying “Cas-based gene editing” doesn’t quite roll off the tongue as smoothly. CRISPR has that catchy ring to it, like the name of a superhero destined to save the world from genetic mutations. Now that you know the story behind CRISPR, it can also remind you of the amazing path that science often takes. From its humble beginnings as a curious genetic anomaly to its current status as a game-changing tool in genetic engineering.

Intrigued by CRISPR and curious to see it in action? With our CRISPR experiment kit, you can experience firsthand how this revolutionary technology works. Perfect for classrooms and hands-on learners, our kit includes all the essential reagents and materials to explore the cutting edge of genetic science in a guided, educational setting. Ready to dive in? Learn more here!