Our illustrated glossary explains key CRISPR-related terms – in English and Spanish – without jargon. The 80+ original icons are downloadable as editable vector graphics and free to use for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons license. Scroll to the end of the page for details on image usage and download options.
For a more education content, check out CRISPRpedia and CRISPR Made Simple.
A type of soil bacterium that can transfer its own genes into plant cells and integrate into their genomes. Often used as a way to add new genes to crop plants.
A type of genome editing that uses CRISPR components to directly change a limited set of single DNA letters to other letters without making breaks in the DNA. Base editors are made by fusing (attaching) DNA-modifying enzymes to DNA-targeting Cas proteins like Cas9.
A protein derived from the CRISPR-Cas bacterial immune system that has been co-opted for genome engineering. Cas3 is a standalone nuclease-helicase that is recruited to targets by a separate, crRNA-guided complex called Cascade. Once Cascade identifies a complementary DNA target, it recruits Cas3 to move along the DNA, cutting as it goes. In CRISPR immunity, cutting phage DNA prevents phages from replicating and destroying the host cell. When used for genetic engineering, this approach can be used to delete thousands of base pairs around the target site.
A protein derived from the CRISPR-Cas bacterial immune system that has been co-opted for genome engineering. Uses an RNA molecule as a guide to find a complementary DNA sequence. Once the target DNA is identified, Cas12 cuts both strands. Has been compared to “molecular scissors” or a “genetic scalpel.” In CRISPR immunity, cutting viral DNA prevents it from destroying the host cell. In genome engineering, cutting genomic DNA initiates a repair process that ends up making a change or “edit” to its sequence.
Note that Cpf1 (Cas12a), C2c1 (Cas12b), C2c3 (Cas12c), CasY (Cas12d), CasX (Cas12e), Cas14 (Cas12f), and CasPhi (Cas12j) are all Cas12 family members. Our illustration is based on Cas12a.
A protein derived from the CRISPR-Cas bacterial immune system that has been co-opted for genome engineering and CRISPR-based diagnostics. Uses an RNA molecule as a guide to find a complementary RNA sequence. Once the target RNA is identified, Cas13 cuts both the target and nearby, “collateral” RNA. In CRISPR immunity, cutting RNA like this is thought to cause “altruistic” cell suicide, preventing the spread of phages to neighboring cells. In genome engineering, an engineered version of Cas13 can be used to make a change or “edit” to targeted RNA sequences. In CRISPR-based diagnostics, Cas13’s collateral cutting activity can generate a fluorescent signal to indicate the presence of a pathogenic target RNA.
A protein complex derived from the CRISPR-Cas bacterial immune system that has been co-opted for genome engineering. Cascade is composed of multiple Cas proteins. The complex uses a crRNA as a guide to find a complementary DNA sequence. Once the target DNA is identified, Cascade recruits a separate nuclease-helicase called Cas3 to move along the DNA, cutting as it goes. In CRISPR immunity, cutting phage DNA prevents phages from replicating and it from destroying the host cell. When used for genetic engineering, this approach can be used to delete thousands of base pairs around the target site.
The exterior envelope of a virus that is engineered to deliver genes or genome-editing molecules without causing infection or disease. The viral genome is not present in EDVs.
Refers to changes to a cell’s gene expression that do not involve altering its DNA code. Instead, the DNA and proteins that hold onto DNA are “tagged” with removable chemical signals. Epigenetic marks tell other proteins how to read the DNA, which parts to ignore, and which parts to transcribe into RNA.
Comparable to sticking a note that says “SKIP” onto a page of a book—a reader will ignore this page, but the book itself has not been changed.
Delivering corrective DNA to human cells as a medical treatment. Certain diseases can be treated or even cured by adding a healthy DNA sequence into the genomes of particular cells. Scientists and doctors typically use a virus to shuttle genes into targeted cells or tissues, where the DNA is incorporated somewhere within the cells’ existing DNA. CRISPR genome editing is sometimes referred to as a gene therapy technique.