Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41106392›Full record

ArticleCell genomics2026

Structural and functional bases of F. rodentium Cas9 provide insights into CRISPR-Cas protein engineering.

Mei Yang, Siqi Liu, Guanqiao Chen, Xi Liu, Dapeng Sun, Jingjing Zhang, Yumei Wang, Shoudeng Chen, Rui Tian, Zheng Hu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cell genomics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

10 authors.

Mei YangDepartment of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong, China; Molecular Imaging Center, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong, China; Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao University Joint Laboratory of Interventional Medicine, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong, China.
Siqi LiuMolecular Imaging Center, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong, China; Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao University Joint Laboratory of Interventional Medicine, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong, China.
Guanqiao ChenDepartment of Gynecologic Oncology, Women and Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, China.
Xi LiuDepartment of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong, China.
Dapeng SunLaboratory of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
Jingjing ZhangDepartment of Gynecologic Oncology, Women and Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, China.
Yumei WangLaboratory of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China. Electronic address: wangym@iphy.ac.cn.
Shoudeng ChenDepartment of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong, China; Molecular Imaging Center, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong, China; Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao University Joint Laboratory of Interventional Medicine, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong, China; Central Laboratory, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong, China. Electronic address: chenshd5@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
Rui TianGenerulor Co., Ltd., Zhuhai 519031, Guangdong, China. Electronic address: tianrui@generulor.com.
Zheng HuTaikang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, No. 299 Bayi Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan 430072, Hubei, China; Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Women and Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Biological Behavior, Hubei Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, China. Electronic address: huzheng1998@163.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The Faecalibaculum rodentium (Fr) CRISPR-Cas9 system exhibits enhanced gene-editing precision and efficiency compared to SpCas9, with distinctive advantages in targeting the TATA box in eukaryotic promoters. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remained unexplored. Here, we present cryo-electron microscopy structures of the FrCas9-single guide RNA (sgRNA)-DNA complex in both the R-loop expansion and pre-catalytic states, shedding light on its specialized recognition of the 5'-NRTA-3' protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) and the unusual overwinding of the sgRNA-DNA heteroduplex. Our investigations into the structure and extensive mutational analyses reveal that the phosphate lock loop plays a pivotal role in finely adjusting FrCas9's off-target sensitivity and catalytic efficiency. Remarkably, targeted residue substitutions in the phosphate lock loop and the PAM-distal region were found to synergistically enhance both the editing precision and efficiency of FrCas9. These findings advance our understanding of Cas9's accuracy and potency mechanisms while providing a molecular foundation for the rational design and development of next-generation CRISPR technologies.

Indexed as

CRISPR-Associated Protein 9CRISPR-Cas SystemsProtein EngineeringCryoelectron MicroscopyGene EditingRNA, Guide, CRISPR-Cas SystemsCRISPR-Associated Protein 9RNA, Guide, CRISPR-Cas SystemsCas9CRISPR-Cascryo-EM structureengineeringhigh fidelityphosphate lock loop

Identifiers

PMID41106392
PMCPMC12926199

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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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.