is an endonuclease consisting of two discrete nuclease domains: the HNH domain which is responsible for the cleavage of the DNA strand complementary to the guide RNA sequence (target strand) and the RuvC‐like domain that cleaves the DNA strand opposite the complementary strand (Chen et al. 2014; Gasiunas et al. 2012; Jinek et al. 2012). The double‐strand breaks (DSBs) are repaired through Non‐Homologous End Joining or Homology directed Repair in the presence of a template. Mutations in both nuclease domains (Asp10 → Ala, His840 → Ala) result in an RNA‐guided DNA‐binding protein without endonuclease activity that is called dCas9 (Jinek et al. 2012; Qi et al. 2013). This dCas9 is then supplemented with effector domains for the execution of distinct functions in the genome (
Figure 1.1B). Fusion of a transcriptional activator VP64 with dCas9 exhibited targeted gene activation by altering the flowering time regulation in Arabidopsis (Xu et al. 2019). Similarly, dCas9‐VP64 regulated transcriptional activation of endogenous genes and dCas9‐SRDX‐regulated transcriptional repression in
Arabidopsis and tobacco (Lowder et al. 2015, 2018). These regulatory domains can also perform multiplex gene targeting using multiple sgRNAs. As a new dimension to CRISPR/Cas technology, there are the base editing enzymes, for example, cytidine deaminase fused with the dCas9, which can replace specific bases in the targeted region of DNA and RNA.
Table 1.1 List of available softwares and programs for designing gRNA.