Repetitive DNA Reeling by the Cascade-Cas3 Complex in Nucleotide Unwinding Steps (Molecular Cell)

Loeff et al. report on a single-molecule fluorescence analysis of the E. coli CRISPR-Cas3 protein. The Cas3 protein uses a spring-loaded unwinding mechanism, reeling the target DNA 3 bp at a time. Facilitated by slipping, Cas3 repeatedly presents its intrinsically inefficient nuclease domain with DNA substrate, which may contribute to promoting a robust immune response.