Abstract
CRISPR/Cas system, widely conserved in Bacteria and Archaea, is regard as an adaptive immune system that efficiently cleaves foreign DNA invading cells, such as bacteriophage and plasmids. Recent studies showed that CRISPR/Cas system not only works for the immune system but also plays crucial roles in virulence, pathogenicity, survival and evolution of bacteria. In this review, we outline the role of CRISPR/Cas system in bacterial survival strategy with our research evidences. In addition, we briefly introduce recent advancement of genome editing applications using CRISPR/Cas system.
