CRISPR-Cas systems as antimicrobial agents for agri-food pathogens

Abstract

The CRISPR-Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat-CRISPR-associated sequences) systems identified in microorganisms are very diverse in their functional organization and mechanism. They participate in the illustration of the development of the strain that carries them over time. The reason is that each time an exogenous genetic fragment is encountered, a spacer is acquired and then inserted into the CRISPR array. These spacers can provide very important historical information on external aggressors, their ecology, and geography. This complex arrangement has a dynamic protection and defense capacity against exogenous genetic elements, which gives the bacterial cell better protection. On the genomic level, the understanding of its functional mechanism is a key factor in its exploitation as a molecular biology and genome editing tool. This chapter aims at clarifying the applications of the CRISPR/Cas system in the preservation and security of crops and food against viral, fungal, and bacterial alterations. © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.