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Don't think so. Originally the CRISPR mechanism was discovered in bacteria, which only have one cell. It doesn't make sense for bacteria's anti-virus system to
by mee_too 9y ago
Don't think so. Originally the CRISPR mechanism was discovered in bacteria, which only have one cell. It doesn't make sense for bacteria's anti-virus system to kill it's only cell.
- 0530_micro 9y agoThis is a really interesting point. I don't know if this experiment has been done, but I actually think that there's a good chance that a bacterial cell might acquire a sequence that it itself contains - CRISPR is known to work at the population level but my understanding is that the mechanism for acquisition of new sequences is unclear. I'll take a look for any papers on the topic and repost should I find anything.
- throwaway2048 9y agoThats assuming that its selection mechanism works at an individual level, and not a population level. After all a colony of bacteria is (usually) a set of identical clones. As long as a few survive, the DNA lives on.