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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 Jun 1.
Published in final edited form as: Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2015 Apr 12;15(6):819–830. doi: 10.1517/14712598.2015.1036736

Figure 2. Mechanisms of CRISPR/Cas9-directed cleavage.

Figure 2

The Cas9 protein forms a complex with a sgRNA, which guides the nuclease to a specific genomic address for cleavage. A. Cas9 catalyzed DNA cleavage is guided by a 17-20 nucleotide sequence within the sgRNA. B. The Cas9 protein “scans” genomic DNA for regions of homology with the guide sequence 77, where it unwinds the DNA and its nuclease domain directs site specific cleavage 78. This results in deletions generated by non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) at the binding site, or in homologous-dependent repair (HDR) (reviewed in 79).