Clusters of short DNA repeats with non-homologous spacers, which are found at regular intervals in the genomes of phylogenetically distinct prokaryotic species, comprise a family with recognisable features. This family is known as CRISPR (short for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats). A number of protein families appear only in association with these repeats and are designated Cas (CRISPR-associated) proteins [1]. This entry represents Csm2 Type III-A, a family of Cas proteins also known as TM1810/Csm2 [2].

1: Evolutionary conservation of sequence and secondary structures in CRISPR repeats. Kunin V, Sorek R, Hugenholtz P; Genome Biol. 2007;8:R61. PMID:17442114

2: Evolution and classification of the CRISPR-Cas systems. Makarova KS, Haft DH, Barrangou R, Brouns SJ, Charpentier E, Horvath P, Moineau S, Mojica FJ, Wolf YI, Yakunin AF, van der Oost J, Koonin EV; Nat Rev Microbiol. 2011;9:467-477. PMID:21552286