Heterogeneous diversity of spacers within CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) in bacterial and archaeal DNA have recently been shown to be a new type of antiviral immune system in these organisms. We here study the diversity of spacers in CRISPR under selective pressure. We propose a population dynamics model...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2010-09, Vol.105 (12), p.128102-128102, Article 128102
Main Authors: He, Jiankui, Deem, Michael W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacteria - classification
Bacteria - genetics
Bacteria - metabolism
Cluster Analysis
DNA, Bacterial - genetics
DNA, Bacterial - physiology
DNA, Intergenic - genetics
DNA, Intergenic - physiology
Genome, Bacterial - genetics
Genome, Bacterial - physiology
Inverted Repeat Sequences
Polymorphism, Genetic
Time Factors
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Summary:Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) in bacterial and archaeal DNA have recently been shown to be a new type of antiviral immune system in these organisms. We here study the diversity of spacers in CRISPR under selective pressure. We propose a population dynamics model that explains the biological observation that the leader-proximal end of CRISPR is more diversified and the leader-distal end of CRISPR is more conserved. This result is shown to be in agreement with recent experiments. Our results show that the CRISPR spacer structure is influenced by and provides a record of the viral challenges that bacteria face.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/physrevlett.105.128102