Guide RNA
Definition
The short RNA sequence that tells a CRISPR enzyme where in the genome to cut.
About twenty bases, complementary to the target site. It is the reason CRISPR is programmable: changing the target means synthesising a different guide, not engineering a different protein. Off-target cutting happens when a guide is similar enough to somewhere else in the genome.
Where this comes up
Articles that define guide rna in context.
Biotechnology
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