This technology is a platform for identifying programmable and portable CRISPR-Cas transcriptional activators that function in bacteria.
Programmable gene transcription enables precise regulation of specific gene networks for modulation of cell behavior. To date, CRISPR-mediated gene activation has been successfully and widely used in eukaryotic systems. However, this system has proven difficult to implement in microbes for industrial and medical applications.
This technology describes a generalizable platform for screening and selecting CRISPR-Cas transcriptional activators specific to bacteria. An identified CRISPR activator demonstrates the capacity to concurrently mediate activation and repression of transcription in E. coli, with multiplexing capabilities and portability to other bacterial species of commercial relevance. As such, this technology potentiates genetic manipulation of bacteria for a wide range of applications, including diagnostics, biofuels, and therapeutics.
