CRISPR

noun (uncountable; acronym used as noun and attributive adjective)

/ˈkrɪspər/

CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) is a naturally occurring bacterial immune system repurposed as a precise genome-editing tool, typically deployed as CRISPR-Cas9 — a ribonucleoprotein complex that can cut, delete, insert, or replace specific DNA sequences with unprecedented accuracy. Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2020 for its development. In UPSC context, Indian applications include FELUDA (FNCAS9 Editor Linked Uniform Detection Assay, a CRISPR-based rapid COVID-19 diagnostic developed by CSIR-IGIB) and BIRSA-101, a CRISPR-edited rice variety developed by ICAR. Genome-edited crops using SDN-1/SDN-2 techniques were deregulated in India in 2022, while SDN-3 (involving foreign DNA) remains regulated as GMO.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

India's decision in 2022 to deregulate genome-edited crops developed through site-directed nuclease techniques SDN-1 and SDN-2 — effectively treating CRISPR-edited varieties as conventional breeding products — marked a significant regulatory departure that could accelerate climate-resilient crop development while sidestepping the stringent GMO approval pathway.

Synonyms

gene scissorsgenome editorsite-directed nuclease toolgene-editing platformmolecular scissors

Antonyms

random mutagenesisconventional breedingnon-GM approach

🌱 Word Family

CRISPR-Cas9 (n), CRISPR-Cas12 (n), gene editing (n), genome editing (n), CRISPR screen (n phrase), CRISPRed (informal adj)

🔡 Root

Acronym: Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats; Cas9 = CRISPR-Associated protein 9

📜 Etymology

The repeating DNA sequences were first observed by Japanese microbiologist Yoshizumi Ishino in E. coli in 1987, though their function was unknown. The acronym 'CRISPR' was coined by Ruud Jansen in 2002. The system's role as a bacterial adaptive immune mechanism was elucidated by Francisco Mojica; its application as a gene-editing tool was published by Doudna and Charpentier in Science in 2012.

🧠 Memory Hook

CRISPR = Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats — use the Nobel anchor: Doudna + Charpentier, Chemistry 2020. Visualise molecular 'scissors' (Cas9) guided by a GPS signal (the guide RNA) to cut precisely at the target gene. 'Crisp' precision editing = CRISPR.

🔬 Science & Technology 📖 Seen in: Emerging Technologies — AI, Quantum Co...

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