Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40849498›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

Discovery of CRISPR-Cas12a clades using a large language model.

Yuanyuan Feng, Junchao Shi, Zhanwei Li, Yongqian Li, Jiaxi Yang, Shisheng Huang, Jinfang Zheng, Wei Han, Yunbo Qiao, Jun Zhang and 8 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–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

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Expanding the CRISPR/Cas toolkit: applications in proteomics and theranostics.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors.

Yuanyuan Feng *Research Center for Life Sciences computing, Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, China.
Junchao Shi *Research Center for Life Sciences computing, Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, China.
Zhanwei Li *Research Center for Life Sciences computing, Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, China.
Yongqian LiResearch Center for Life Sciences computing, Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-7342-7456
Jiaxi YangResearch Center for Life Sciences computing, Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, China.
Shisheng HuangResearch Center for Life Sciences computing, Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, China.
Jinfang ZhengResearch Center for Life Sciences computing, Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5966-7713
Wei HanResearch Center for Life Sciences computing, Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, China.
Yunbo QiaoNinth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8391-5868
Jun ZhangState Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine and Offspring Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7630-8162
Qi LiuTranslational Medical Center for Stem Cell Therapy and Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2578-1221
Yao YangResearch Center for Life Sciences computing, Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, China.
Chunyi HuDepartment of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4509-4840
Lina WuSchool of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China.
Xiaokang ZhangShenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China. xk.zhang@siat.ac.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5073-2582
Jin TangResearch Center for Life Sciences computing, Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, China. jin.tang@zhejianglab.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0004-7474-5109
Xingxu HuangResearch Center for Life Sciences computing, Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, China. huangxx@shanghaitech.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8934-1247
Peixiang MaNinth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. mapx@shsmu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6794-1663

Funding

Resource for Biocomputing Visualization and InformaticsP41GM103311 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI FERRIN, THOMAS E · 2012 to 2017
$8.2M
National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 22177073National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 32161133022NIGMS NIH HHS P41 GM103311Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission) 23HC1400700Shanghai Science and Technology Development Foundation (Shanghai Science and Technology Development Fund) 24141901302
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

CRISPR-Cas systems revolutionize life science. Metagenomes contain millions of unknown Cas proteins. Traditional mining relies on protein sequence alignments. In this work, we employ an evolutionary scale language model (ESM) to learn the information beyond sequences. Trained with CRISPR-Cas data, ESM accurately identifies Cas proteins without alignment. Limited experimental data restricts feature prediction, but integrating with machine learning enables trans-cleavage activity prediction of uncharacterized Cas12a. We discover 7 undocumented Cas12a subtypes with unique CRISPR loci. Structural analyses reveal 8 subtypes of Cas1, Cas2, and Cas4. Cas12a subtypes display distinct 3D-folds. CryoEM analyses unveil unique RNA interactions with the uncharacterized Cas12a. These proteins show distinct double-strand and single-strand DNA cleavage preferences and broad PAM recognition. Finally, we establish a specific detection strategy for the oncogene SNP without traditional Cas12a PAM. This study highlights the potential of language models in exploring undocumented Cas protein function via gene cluster classification.

Indexed as

Bacterial ProteinsCRISPR-Associated ProteinsCRISPR-Cas SystemsEndodeoxyribonucleasesCryoelectron MicroscopyLarge Language ModelsMachine LearningPolymorphism, Single NucleotideBacterial ProteinsCas12a proteinCRISPR-Associated ProteinsEndodeoxyribonucleases

Identifiers

PMID40849498
PMCPMC12375029

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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.