Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30078724›Full record

ArticleMolecular cell2018

Kinetic Basis for DNA Target Specificity of CRISPR-Cas12a.

Isabel Strohkendl, Fatema A Saifuddin, James R Rybarski, Ilya J Finkelstein, Rick Russell

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular cell, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 176 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
176citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

176 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  6. Molecular mechanisms and biotechnology applications of CRISPR-Cas12a.Nature reviews. Molecular cell biology · 2026
    Review
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  8. Rho (bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
    Article
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116 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Isabel StrohkendlDepartment of Molecular Biosciences and the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
Fatema A SaifuddinDepartment of Molecular Biosciences and the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA; Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
James R RybarskiDepartment of Molecular Biosciences and the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA; Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
Ilya J FinkelsteinDepartment of Molecular Biosciences and the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA; Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
Rick RussellDepartment of Molecular Biosciences and the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA. Electronic address: rick_russell@cm.utexas.edu.

Funding

Time-resolved small angle X-ray scatteringP01GM066275 · NIGMS · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · PI HERSCHLAG, DANIEL · 2003 to 2017
$17.8M
Mechanism, specificity, and design of CRISPR RNA-mediated gene regulationR01GM124141 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN · PI FINKELSTEIN, ILYA J · 2017 to 2020
$1.2M
NIGMS NIH HHS P01 GM066275NIGMS NIH HHS R01 GM124141
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Class 2 CRISPR-Cas nucleases are programmable genome editing tools with promising applications in human health and disease. However, DNA cleavage at off-target sites that resemble the target sequence is a pervasive problem that remains poorly understood mechanistically. Here, we use quantitative kinetics to dissect the reaction steps of DNA targeting by Acidaminococcus sp Cas12a (also known as Cpf1). We show that Cas12a binds DNA tightly in two kinetically separable steps. Protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM) recognition is followed by rate-limiting R-loop propagation, leading to inevitable DNA cleavage of both strands. Despite functionally irreversible binding, Cas12a discriminates strongly against mismatches along most of the DNA target sequence. This result implies substantial reversibility during R-loop formation-a late transition state-and defies common descriptions of a "seed" region. Our results provide a quantitative basis for the DNA cleavage patterns measured in vivo and observations of greater reported target specificity for Cas12a than for the Cas9 nuclease.

Indexed as

AcidaminococcusBacterial ProteinsClustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic RepeatsCRISPR-Associated ProteinsCRISPR-Cas SystemsDNADNA CleavageGene EditingHumansKineticsNucleic Acid ConformationProtein BindingRNA, Guide, CRISPR-Cas SystemsBacterial ProteinsCRISPR-Associated ProteinsDNARNA, Guide, CRISPR-Cas SystemsAsCpf1CRISPR-Cas systemrate-limiting bindingRNA/DNA assemblyRNA/DNA thermodynamicsRNA-guided nucleaseRNA-protein enzyme

Identifiers

PMID30078724
PMCPMC6679935

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.