Potential of the endogenous and artificially inserted CRISPR-Cas system for controlling virulence and antimicrobial resistance of food pathogens

Abstract

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated sequences (Cas) are prokaryotic defenses against viruses and foreign nucleic acids found in many bacterial and archaeal genomes. The discovery that CRISPR spacers are often identical to sequence fragments of mobile genetic elements was a major breakthrough that eventually led to the elucidation of CRISPR-Cas as an adaptive immunity system. The ability of the CRISPR-Cas systems to perform sequence-specific DNA cleavage evidenced its potential for gene deletion, insertion, or regulation. This allows the food microbiota to be easily genetically modulated, including virulence or resistance gene editing from pathogens which could lead to more safe and high-quality products. This review provides insights into the CRISPR-Cas systems, followed by the understanding of the synergistic or antagonistic relationship of resistance and virulence determinants in foodborne pathogens in connection to their intrinsic CRISPR system. By employing specific examples and recently reported studies this review also widens the discussion of the CRISPR-Cas use for controlling food pathogens by editing genes associated with virulence modulation and reversal of antimicrobial resistance.

Keywords

• CRISPR-Cas systems
• Antibiotic-resistant bacteria
• Virulence
• Genome editing
• Food pathogens