CRISPR Recognition Tool (CRT): a tool for automatic detection of clustered regularly \ninterspaced palindromic repeats

Background: Clustered Regularly Interspaced Palindromic Repeats (CRISPRs) are a novel type of direct repeat found in a wide range of bacteria and archaea. CRISPRs are beginning to attract attention because of their proposed mechanism; that is, defending their hosts against invading extrachromosomal elements such as viruses. Existing repeat detection tools do a poor job of identifying CRISPRs due to the presence of unique spacer sequences separating the repeats. In this study, a new tool, CRT, is introduced that rapidly and accurately identifies CRISPRs in large DNA strings, such as genomes and metagenomes.\nResults: CRT was compared to CRISPR detection tools, Patscan and Pilercr. In terms of correctness, CRT…