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Review
. 2021 Oct 26;13(11):2157.
doi: 10.3390/v13112157.

CRISPR Tackles Emerging Viral Pathogens

Emily N Kirby  1 , Byron Shue  1 , Paul Q Thomas  2   3   4 , Michael R Beard  1
Affiliations
Review

CRISPR Tackles Emerging Viral Pathogens

Emily N Kirby et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

Understanding the dynamic relationship between viral pathogens and cellular host factors is critical to furthering our knowledge of viral replication, disease mechanisms and development of anti-viral therapeutics. CRISPR genome editing technology has enhanced this understanding, by allowing identification of pro-viral and anti-viral cellular host factors for a wide range of viruses, most recently the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2. This review will discuss how CRISPR knockout and CRISPR activation genome-wide screening methods are a robust tool to investigate the viral life cycle and how other class 2 CRISPR systems are being repurposed for diagnostics.

Keywords: CRISPR KO; CRISPRa; SARS-CoV-2; anti-viral; coronavirus; flavivirus; genome editing; host factors; pro-viral; viral life cycle.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Workflow of the genome-wide CRISPRKO screening process for the identification of novel pro-viral host factors key for viral life cycles.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic of SARS-CoV-2 replication highlighting putative pro-viral (identified from CRISPRKO screens—red) and anti-viral (identified from CRISPRa screens—green) host factors. Viral and host protein interactions and cellular localisation are indicated based on known host factor localisation; however, this warrants further validation and characterisation.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Summary of the process required for the DETECTR and SHERLOCK CRISPR diagnostic systems, which utilise the collateral cleavage capacity of both Cas12 and Cas13.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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