BioEssays 6/2020

CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) in bacteria is an attractive method for programmable gene activation. In article number 1900252, Yang Liu and Baojun Wang summarize the current state-of-the-art in this area of high potential, and present the powerful features and capabilities of a newly reported eukaryote-like, σ⁵⁴-dependent CRISPRa system. The eukaryote-like bacterial CRISPRa enables novel designs in synthetic gene regulation and promotes research in the σ⁵⁴-dependent gene networks with broad applications envisioned.