CRISPR/Cas-Based Modifications for Therapeutic Applications: A Review.

The CRISPR-Cas genome editing system is an intrinsic property of a bacteria-based immune system. This employs a guide RNA to detect and cleave the PAM-associated target DNA or RNA in subsequent infections, by the invasion of a similar bacteriophage. The discovery of Cas systems has paved the way to overcome the limitations of existing genome editing tools. In this review, we focus on Cas proteins that are available for gene modifications among which Cas9, Cas12a, and Cas13 have been widely used in the areas of medicine, research, and diagnostics. Since CRISPR has been already proven for its potential research applications, the next milestone for CRISPR will be proving its efficacy and safety. In this connection, we systematically review recent advances in exploring multiple variants of Cas proteins and their modifications for therapeutic applications.

Tetra-kis(µ-2-methyl-benzoato)bis-[(2-methyl-benzoic acid)copper(II)].

In the title centrosymmetric dinuclear compound, [Cu(2)(C(8)H(7)O(2))(4)(C(8)H(8)O(2))(2)], four o-toluate anions form a cage around two Cu atoms in a syn-syn configuration. Two more o-toluic acid mol-ecules are apically bonded to the Cu atoms, which show a square-pyramidal coordination geometry. The acid H atoms are hydrogen bonded to the cage carboxyl O atoms [O⋯O = 2.660 (2) Å]. The mol-ecular packing forms a puckered pseudo-hexa-gonal close-packed layer in the (h00) plane, with soft inter-molecular H⋯H contacts (2.46-2.58 Å).

Tetra-kis(µ-4-ethyl-benzoato-κO:O')-bis-[(4-ethyl-benzoic acid-κO)copper(II)].

The molecule of the title compound, [Cu(2)(C(9)H(9)O(2))(4)(C(9)H(10)O(2))(2)], lies on a center of inversion. It consists of four bridging ethyl-benzoate ligands, forming a cage around two Cu atoms in a syn-syn configuration, and two monodentate ethyl-benzoic acid ligands bonded apically to the square-planar Cu atoms. The Cu⋯Cu distance is 2.6047 (5) Å.