The immune system in bacteria
In humans, B and T cells can learn to recognize proteins and other structures in order to destroy pathogens and infected cells. Due to the complexity of that system, the demonstration of an adaptive immune system in prokaryotes was a surprise. The prokaryotic system, based on a region of DNA called Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR), is a largely stand-alone system that is capable of functioning in an individual cell, a necessity for organisms that often display unicellular behavior. The CRISPR-Cas system targets DNA or RNA as a way of protecting against viruses and other mobile genetic elements. CRISPRs are part of an anti-virus system
1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0300908415001042#bib2
In humans, B and T cells can learn to recognize proteins and other structures in order to destroy pathogens and infected cells. Due to the complexity of that system, the demonstration of an adaptive immune system in prokaryotes was a surprise. The prokaryotic system, based on a region of DNA called Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR), is a largely stand-alone system that is capable of functioning in an individual cell, a necessity for organisms that often display unicellular behavior. The CRISPR-Cas system targets DNA or RNA as a way of protecting against viruses and other mobile genetic elements. CRISPRs are part of an anti-virus system
1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0300908415001042#bib2
