DNA-cutting agent

Abstract

The present invention describes a novel bacterial nuclease of the CRISPRCas9 system from the bacterium Defluviimonas sp. 20V17, as well as the use thereof to form strictly specific double-strand breaks in a DNA molecule. This nuclease has unusual properties and may be used as a tool for introducing modifications strictly defined sites in the genomic DNA sequence of unicellular or multicellular organisms. Thus, the versatility of the available CRISPR-Cas9 systems is increased, which will enable the use of Cas9 nucleases from various organisms for cutting genomic or plasmid DNA in a larger number of specific sites and specific conditions.