Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42096148›Full record

ArticleMethods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)2026

CRISPR-AsCas12a and dAsCas12a-Mediated Gene Knockout and Knockdown in Clostridioides difficile.

Duolong Zhu, Shaohui Wang, Xingmin Sun, Robert A Britton

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.), 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

4 authors.

Duolong ZhuDepartment of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA. duolong.zhu@bcm.edu.
Shaohui WangDepartment of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
Xingmin SunDepartment of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
Robert A BrittonDepartment of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is a leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and severe colitis, yet its genetic manipulation has long been constrained by low DNA transfer efficiency and limited recombination systems. Recent advances in CRISPR-based technologies have revolutionized the genetic toolkit for this pathogen, enabling precise genome editing and transcriptional regulation. Among CRISPR nucleases, Cas12a offers distinct advantages over Cas9 for bacterial applications, including a smaller size, T-rich PAM recognition, single-crRNA requirement, and reduced toxicity, which enhances conjugation efficiency in genetically recalcitrant organisms. AsCas12a-based platforms have enabled large fragment deletions, multiplex editing, and rapid generation of marker-free mutants in C. difficile. Complementing these nuclease-active systems, nuclease-deactivated variants (dCas9 or dAsCas12a) support CRISPR interference (CRISPRi)-a reversible, tunable approach for transcriptional repression without altering genomic sequences. Compared to traditional mutagenesis, CRISPRi greatly accelerates functional genomics by enabling high-throughput screening and drug target discovery. Together, our lab has independently developed CRISPR-AsCas12a-mediated genome editing and dAsCas12a-based CRISPRi tools, providing complementary strategies to overcome longstanding genetic barriers in C. difficile. These tools open new avenues for system-level interrogation of virulence, antibiotic resistance, and host-pathogen interactions.

Indexed as

Clostridioides difficileCRISPR-Cas SystemsGene EditingGene Knockdown TechniquesGene Knockout TechniquesClustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic RepeatsCRISPR-Associated ProteinsCRISPR-Associated ProteinsAsCas12aCRISPRCRISPRidAsCas12a

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.