A new family of CRISPR ‐type V nucleases with C‐rich PAM recognition

Abstract

Most CRISPR-type V nucleases are stimulated to cleave double-stranded (ds) DNA targets by a T-rich PAM, which restricts their targeting range. Here, we identify and characterize a new family of type V RNA-guided nuclease, Cas12l, that exclusively recognizes a C-rich (5'-CCY-3') PAM. The organization of genes within its CRISPR locus is similar to type II-B CRISPR-Cas9 systems, but both sequence analysis and functional studies establish it as a new family of type V effector. Biochemical experiments show that Cas12l nucleases function optimally between 37 and 52°C, depending on the ortholog, and preferentially cut supercoiled DNA. Like other type V nucleases, it exhibits collateral nonspecific ssDNA and ssRNA cleavage activity that is triggered by ssDNA or dsDNA target recognition. Finally, we show that one family member, Asp2Cas12l, functions in a heterologous cellular environment, altogether, suggesting that this new group of CRISPR-associated nucleases may be harnessed as genome editing reagents.