guide RNA

Technology

The component of the CRISPR system that acts as a key, guiding the Cas protein to a specific sequence in the DNA for editing.


First Mentioned

10/22/2025, 4:07:38 AM

Last Updated

10/22/2025, 4:11:07 AM

Research Retrieved

10/22/2025, 4:11:07 AM

Summary

Guide RNA (gRNA), also known as single guide RNA (sgRNA), is a crucial short RNA sequence that directs Cas9-endonuclease or other Cas-proteins to specific DNA locations for gene editing. In bacteria and archaea, gRNAs are integral to the CRISPR-Cas system, serving as an adaptive immune defense by identifying and degrading foreign DNA. A recent advancement in this field is Profluent Bio's OpenCrisper-1, an AI-driven gene editing tool developed using a protein language model. This open-source innovation is designed to be more effective than existing CRISPR technology and aims to democratize gene editing by bypassing the patent landscape controlled by institutions like the Broad Institute, MIT, and Harvard, thereby accelerating progress in life sciences, agricultural technology, industrial biotechnology, and the development of treatments for genetic diseases.

Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
  • Type

    Short RNA sequence

  • Biological Role

    Part of CRISPR-Cas system in bacteria and archaea, adaptive immune defense, detects and degrades foreign DNA

  • Primary Function

    Directs Cas9-endonuclease or other Cas-proteins to specific DNA locations for gene editing

  • Alternative Names

    single guide RNA (sgRNA)

  • Associated Technology

    OpenCrisper-1

  • Impact of OpenCrisper-1

    Democratizes gene editing, accelerates progress in Life Sciences, Agriculture technology, Industrial biotechnology, Genetic diseases

  • Mechanism (RNA editing)

    Replaces adenosine with inosine at specific target sites, modifying genetic code

  • Nature of OpenCrisper-1

    Open-source AI innovation, uses protein language model

  • Advantage of OpenCrisper-1

    More effective than existing CRISPR technology, bypasses restrictive patent landscape

  • Developer of OpenCrisper-1

    Profluent Bio

  • Profluent Bio Headquarters

    Berkeley, United States

  • Engineered System Components

    Scaffold sequence (for Cas-binding), user-defined ~20-nucleotide spacer (defines genomic target)

Timeline
  • Profluent Bio, a Berkeley-based startup, developed and open-sourced OpenCrisper-1, a revolutionary AI-driven gene editing tool using a protein language model. This innovation aims to bypass the restrictive patent landscape of existing CRISPR technology. (Source: Related Documents)

    Recently

Guide RNA

Guide RNA (gRNA) or single guide RNA (sgRNA) is a short sequence of RNA that functions as a guide for the Cas9-endonuclease or other Cas-proteins that cut the double-stranded DNA and thereby can be used for gene editing. In bacteria and archaea, gRNAs are a part of the CRISPR-Cas system that serves as an adaptive immune defense that protects the organism from viruses. Here the short gRNAs serve as detectors of foreign DNA and direct the Cas-enzymes that degrades the foreign nucleic acid.

Web Search Results
  • Guide RNA - Wikipedia

    Guide RNA (gRNA) or single guide RNA (sgRNA) is a short sequence of RNA that functions as a guide for the Cas9-endonuclease or other Cas-proteins that cut the double-stranded DNA and thereby can be used for gene editing. In bacteria and archaea, gRNAs are a part of the CRISPR-Cas system that serves as an adaptive immune defense that protects the organism from viruses. Here the short gRNAs serve as detectors of foreign DNA and direct the Cas-enzymes that degrades the foreign nucleic acid. [...] the introduction of pseudouridine in preribosomal RNA. Guide RNAs bind to the antisense RNA sequence and regulate RNA modification. It has been observed that small interfering RNA (siRNA) and micro RNA (miRNA) are generally used as target RNA sequences, and modifications are comparatively easy to introduce due to their small size. [...] One important method of gene regulation is RNA mutagenesis, which can be introduced through RNA editing with the assistance of gRNA. Guide RNA replaces adenosine with inosine at specific target sites, modifying the genetic code. Adenosine deaminase acts on RNA, bringing post transcriptional modification by altering codons and different protein functions. Guide RNAs are small nucleolar RNAs that, along with riboproteins, perform intracellular RNA alterations such as ribomethylation in rRNA and

  • Guide RNA - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics

    A guide RNA molecule is a central component for CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing and it is the sole determinant for selecting the specific cleavage sites in the genome. A sgRNA can be arbitrarily divided into two parts: the first 20 bp at the 5′-end of a sgRNA complements the target DNA and determines the specificity of the sgRNA (Fig. 1A). We call this part the gene-specificity portion of a sgRNA. The rest of the sgRNA is the core sequence that forms a unique secondary structure to guide [...] the interactions with the Cas9 protein and to bring Cas9 to the DNA target (Fig. 1A). When designing a sgRNA, only the gene-specificity portion needs to be changed. Guide RNA can be chemically synthesized for in vitro studies, but production of a sgRNA in vivo is achieved by transcribing the corresponding DNA sequences (Fig. 1). [...] #### 2.2 Guide RNAs Are Mainly Produced From RNA Pol III Promoters

  • CRISPR Guide - Addgene

    | gRNA | Guide RNA, a synthetic fusion of the endogenous bacterial crRNA and tracrRNA that provides both targeting specificity and scaffolding/binding ability for Cas9 nuclease. This synthetic fusion does not exist in nature and is also commonly referred to as an sgRNA. | | gRNA scaffold sequence | The sequence within the gRNA that is responsible for Cas9 binding, it does not include the 20 bp spacer/targeting sequence that is used to guide Cas9 to target DNA | [...] Engineered CRISPR systems contain two components: a guide RNA (gRNA or sgRNA) and a CRISPR-associated endonuclease (Cas enzyme). The gRNA is a short synthetic RNA composed of a scaffold sequence necessary for Cas-binding and a user-defined ∼20-nucleotide spacer that defines the genomic target to be modified. You can therefore change the genomic target of the Cas enzyme by simply changing the target sequence present in the gRNA. [...] Guide RNAs are designed in silico and synthesized (Figure 8A), then cloned in a pooled format into lentiviral transfer vectors (Figure 8B). Libraries come in 1-vector systems, in which Cas9 is included in the gRNA-containing plasmid, or 2-vector systems, in which Cas9 must be delivered separately. They can knockout, activate, or repress genes.

  • What Is Guide RNA (gRNA)? Definitions & Applications - Excedr

    Even though Cas nuclease has been isolated from different bacteria, the most commonly used one, SpCas9, is isolated from Streptococcus pyogenes. There’s also another variant of guide RNA, which consists of a single RNA molecule and is called single-guide RNA (sgRNA). It has a custom-designed short crRNA sequence conjoined with the scaffold tracrRNA sequence to facilitate the process of cleavage. ‍ [...] See All Resources Join Our Monthly Biotech Newsletter Resources for founders, scientists, and the life sciences community. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. ## What Is Guide RNA (gRNA)? Gene editing, also known as genome engineering, is a revolutionary technique that modifies DNA to treat disease and improve human health. [...] Among such techniques is the CRISPR-Cas system, standing for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats. It is composed of two components: Guide RNA (gRNA): A specific RNA sequence that recognizes the region of interest in the target DNA. It binds with the Cas9 protein and directs it to the target site to perform the modification process. The CRISPR gRNA is itself composed of two units:

  • Difference between crRNA and sgRNA - Integrated DNA Technologies

    The mode of Cas9 delivery also helps determine which guide RNA composition to use. Delivery of Cas9 protein complexed with a guide RNA, known as a ribonucleoprotein complex (RNP), leads to immediate activity in the cell. Therefore, a two-part guide RNA complex can be chosen to form the RNP. When Cas9 protein delivery is indirect via mRNA or plasmid delivery, we recommend using sgRNAs, as they are more stable over time in the intracellular environment. See Table 1 for a summary of these [...] Some reports have stated that single guide RNAs outperform two-part guide RNAs (tracrRNA and a crRNA) in most or all cases. Here, we compare the two types of guide RNA complexes directly. First, 255 target sites were randomly selected across the genome. RNP complexes were made using either two-part or single guide RNA and delivered into Jurkat cells. Genome editing efficiencies were determined. Single guide RNA editing efficiencies for each target site were plotted against the two-part guide [...] | | | --- | | | Guide RNA suggestions | | Limited budget, no other constraints | Two-part guide RNA | | High endo- or exo-nuclease activity in cells | Single guide RNA (first choice) OR (next choice if the first choice does not work) two-part guide RNA with many chemical modifications,\ OR (third choice, if the above choices do not work) single guide RNA with many chemical modifications\\ |