Francisco Mojica

{{Infobox scientist

| birth_name = Francisco Juan Martínez Mojica

| image = FCMM_2019.jpg

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|10|05|df=y}}

| birth_place = Elche, Spain

| field = Molecular biology, microbiology

| work_institutions = University of Alicante

| alma_mater = University of Valencia, University of Alicante

| known_for = Discovery of CRISPR

}}

Francisco Juan Martínez Mojica{{family name footnote|lang=Spanish|Martínez|Mojica}} (born 5 October 1963) is a Spanish molecular biologist and microbiologist at the University of Alicante in Spain. He is known for his discovery of repetitive, functional DNA sequences in bacteria which he named CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats). These were later developed into the first widespread genome editing tool, CRISPR-Cas9.{{r|ledford}}

Early life and education

Mojica was born in Elche, Spain, on 5 October 1963. He attended Los Andes elementary school, Vázquez de Mella school, and Instituto Carrus high school. He enrolled first at the University of Murcia to study biology and later moved to the University of Valencia (BS, 1986) and University of Alicante (PhD, 1993). During his doctoral studies, he visited Paris-Sud University. He then received post-doctoral training at the University of Utah and the University of Oxford. Since 1994, Mojica has been a faculty member at the University of Alicante, where he has focused on molecular microbiology, which led to his discovery of the CRISPR system.

Career and research

=The discovery of CRISPR=

Mojica was the first researcher to characterize what is now called a CRISPR locus, reported in 1993. Part of the sequence was reported previously by Yoshizumi Ishino in 1987. Mojica described the complete gene sequence repeats in the archaeal organisms Haloferax and Haloarcula species, and studied their function.{{cite journal | last1=Mojica | first1=F. J. M. | last2=Juez | first2=G. | last3=Rodriguez-Valera | first3=F. | title=Transcription at different salinities of Haloferax mediterranei sequences adjacent to partially modified PstI sites | journal=Molecular Microbiology | publisher=Wiley | volume=9 | issue=3 | year=1993 | issn=0950-382X | doi=10.1111/j.1365-2958.1993.tb01721.x | pages=613–621| pmid=8412707 | s2cid=23548049 }} He continued research on these sequences throughout the 1990s, and in 2000, Mojica recognized that what had been reported as disparate repeat sequences actually shared a common set of features, now known to be the hallmarks of CRISPR sequences. He coined the term CRISPR through correspondence with Ruud Jansen of Utrecht University, proposing the acronym of Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats to alleviate the confusion stemming from the numerous acronyms used to describe the sequences in scientific literature.

=CRISPR as a microbial immune system=

In 2003, Mojica wrote the first paper suggesting that CRISPR was an innate microbial immune system. The paper was rejected by a series of high-profile journals, including Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Molecular Microbiology and Nucleic Acids Research, before finally being accepted by Journal of Molecular Evolution in February, 2005.{{cite journal |last1=Mojica |first1=Francisco J. M. |last2=Díez-Villaseñor |first2=César |last3=García-Martínez |first3=Jesús |last4=Soria |first4=Elena |title=Intervening sequences of regularly spaced prokaryotic repeats derive from foreign genetic elements |journal=Journal of Molecular Evolution |date=February 2005 |volume=60 |issue=2 |pages=174–182 |doi=10.1007/s00239-004-0046-3 |pmid=15791728 |bibcode=2005JMolE..60..174M |s2cid=27481111 |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15791728/ |access-date=9 October 2020 |issn=0022-2844}}{{Cite journal|last=Lander|first=Eric S.|date=2016|title=The Heroes of CRISPR|journal=Cell|volume=164|issue=1–2|pages=18–28|doi=10.1016/j.cell.2015.12.041|pmid=26771483|issn=0092-8674|doi-access=free}}

Awards and honors

Albany Medical Center Prize, 2017.[http://www.amc.edu/news/gene-editing-pioneers-receive-americas-most-distinguished-prize-in-medicine.cfm Albany Medical Center. Gene Editing Pioneers Selected to Receive America’s Most Distinguished Prize in Medicine, August 15, 2017]
PLuS Alliance to Global Innovation, King's College London, 2017.{{Cite web|title=PLuS Alliance Prize 2017 winners announced|url=https://www.kcl.ac.uk/archive/news/kings/newsrecords/2017/09-september/plus-alliance-prize-2017-winners-announced|access-date=9 October 2020|website=King’s College London}}
BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biomedicine (shared with Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna), 2017.{{Cite web|title=Francisco Martínez Mojica. Frontiers Of Knowledge Laureate. Biology and Biomedicine. 9th Edition|url=https://www.frontiersofknowledgeawards-fbbva.es/galardonados/francisco-martinez-mojica-2/|access-date=9 October 2020|website=Frontiers of Knowledge Awards|language=en}}

=Honorary Degrees received=

Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain, 2017.{{Cite web|date=19 September 2017|title=Martínez Mojica, honoris causa por la UPV|url=https://www.upv.es/noticias-upv/noticia-9335-martinez-mojica-es.html|access-date=9 October 2020|website=Universitat Politècnica de València|language=es}}
National University of Quilmes, Argentina, 2018.{{Cite web|title=El padre de la técnica CRISPR recibió el título de Doctor Honoris Causa de la UNQ|url=http://www.unq.edu.ar/noticias/3890-el-padre-de-la-t%C3%A9cnica-crispr-recibi%C3%B3-el-t%C3%ADtulo-de-doctor-honoris-causa-de-la-unq.php|access-date=9 October 2020|website=Universidad Nacional de Quilmes|language=es}}
University of Valencia, Spain, 2018.{{Cite web|date=11 January 2018|title=Francisco Martínez Mojica, doctor "honoris causa"|url=https://www.uv.es/uvweb/rectorado/es/rectorado-universidad-valencia/francisco-martinez-mojica-doctor-honoris-causa-1285866422007/Novetat.html?id=1286029742309&plantilla=Rectorat/Page/TPGDetaill|access-date=9 October 2020|website=Universitat de València|language=es}}
Menéndez Pelayo International University, Spain, 2019.{{Cite web|title=El microbiólogo Francis Mojica recibe el Doctor Honoris Causa en la UIMP - UIMP|url=http://www.uimp.es/actualidad-uimp/el-microbiologo-francis-mojica-recibe-el-doctor-honoris-causa-en-la-uimp.html|access-date=9 October 2020|website=Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo|language=es}}
University of Murcia, Spain, 2019.{{Cite web|date=13 November 2019|title=Francisco J. Martínez Mojica, descubridor de las revolucionarias técnicas CRISPR, nuevo doctor Honoris Causa por la UMU|url=https://www.um.es/web/sala-prensa/-/francisco-j-martinez-mojica-descubridor-de-las-revolucionarias-tecnicas-crispr-nuevo-doctor-honoris-causa-por-la-umu|access-date=9 October 2020|website=Universidad de Murcia|language=es-ES}}

Publications

(A selection from those mentioned in the institutional page of the Universidad de Alicante, and those referred by Lander in the article The Heroes of CRISPR)

{{cite book | last1=Mojica | first1=Francisco J. M. | last2=Garrett | first2=Roger A. | title=CRISPR-Cas Systems | chapter=Discovery and Seminal Developments in the CRISPR Field | publisher=Springer Berlin Heidelberg | publication-place=Berlin, Heidelberg | date=13 December 2012 | isbn=978-3-642-34656-9 | doi=10.1007/978-3-642-34657-6_1}}
{{cite journal | last1=Mojica | first1=F. J. M. | last2=Juez | first2=G. | last3=Rodriguez-Valera | first3=F. | title=Transcription at different salinities of Haloferax mediterranei sequences adjacent to partially modified PstI sites | journal=Molecular Microbiology | publisher=Wiley | volume=9 | issue=3 | year=1993 | issn=0950-382X | doi=10.1111/j.1365-2958.1993.tb01721.x | pages=613–621| pmid=8412707 | s2cid=23548049 }}
{{cite journal | last1=Mojica | first1=F.J.M. | last2=Ferrer | first2=C. | last3=Juez | first3=G. | last4=Rodríguez-Valera | first4=F. | title=Long stretches of short tandem repeats are present in the largest replicons of the Archaea Haloferax mediterranei and Haloferax volcanii and could be involved in replicon partitioning | journal=Molecular Microbiology | publisher=Wiley | volume=17 | issue=1 | year=1995 | issn=0950-382X | doi=10.1111/j.1365-2958.1995.mmi_17010085.x | pages=85–93| pmid=7476211 | s2cid=24330250 }}
{{cite journal | last1=Mojica | first1=Francisco J. M. | last2=Diez-Villasenor | first2=Cesar | last3=Soria | first3=Elena | last4=Juez | first4=Guadalupe | title=Biological significance of a family of regularly spaced repeats in the genomes of Archaea, Bacteria and mitochondria | journal=Molecular Microbiology | publisher=Wiley | volume=36 | issue=1 | year=2000 | issn=0950-382X | doi=10.1046/j.1365-2958.2000.01838.x | pages=244–246| pmid=10760181 | s2cid=22216574 | doi-access=free }}
{{cite journal | last1=Mojica | first1=Francisco J.M. | last2=Dı́ez-Villaseñor | first2=Chc)sar | last3=Garcı́a-Martı́nez | first3=Jesús | last4=Soria | first4=Elena | title=Intervening Sequences of Regularly Spaced Prokaryotic Repeats Derive from Foreign Genetic Elements | journal=Journal of Molecular Evolution | publisher=Springer Science and Business Media LLC | volume=60 | issue=2 | year=2005 | issn=0022-2844 | doi=10.1007/s00239-004-0046-3 | pages=174–182| pmid=15791728 | bibcode=2005JMolE..60..174M | s2cid=27481111 }}
{{cite book | last1=Mojica | first1=Francisco J. M. | last2=Garrett | first2=Roger A. | title=CRISPR-Cas Systems | chapter=Discovery and Seminal Developments in the CRISPR Field | publisher=Springer Berlin Heidelberg | publication-place=Berlin, Heidelberg | date=13 December 2012 | isbn=978-3-642-34656-9 | doi=10.1007/978-3-642-34657-6_1}}
{{cite journal | last1=Makarova | first1=Kira S. | last2=Wolf | first2=Yuri I. | last3=Alkhnbashi | first3=Omer S. | last4=Costa | first4=Fabrizio | last5=Shah | first5=Shiraz A. | last6=Saunders | first6=Sita J. | last7=Barrangou | first7=Rodolphe | last8=Brouns | first8=Stan J. J. | last9=Charpentier | first9=Emmanuelle | last10=Haft | first10=Daniel H. | last11=Horvath | first11=Philippe | last12=Moineau | first12=Sylvain | last13=Mojica | first13=Francisco J. M. | last14=Terns | first14=Rebecca M. | last15=Terns | first15=Michael P. | last16=White | first16=Malcolm F. | last17=Yakunin | first17=Alexander F. | last18=Garrett | first18=Roger A. | last19=van der Oost | first19=John | last20=Backofen | first20=Rolf | last21=Koonin | first21=Eugene V. | title=An updated evolutionary classification of CRISPR–Cas systems | journal=Nature Reviews Microbiology | publisher=Springer Science and Business Media LLC | volume=13 | issue=11 | date=28 September 2015 | issn=1740-1526 | doi=10.1038/nrmicro3569 | pages=722–736| pmid=26411297 | pmc=5426118 }}
{{cite journal | last1=García-Gutiérrez | first1=Enriqueta | last2=Almendros | first2=Cristóbal | last3=Mojica | first3=Francisco J. M. | last4=Guzmán | first4=Noemí M. | last5=García-Martínez | first5=Jesús | editor-last=Wang | editor-first=Tony | title=CRISPR Content Correlates with the Pathogenic Potential of Escherichia coli | journal=PLOS ONE | publisher=Public Library of Science (PLoS) | volume=10 | issue=7 | date=2 July 2015 | issn=1932-6203 | doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0131935 | page=e0131935| pmid=26136211 | pmc=4489801 | bibcode=2015PLoSO..1031935G | doi-access=free }}
{{cite book | last1=Almendros | first1=Cristóbal | last2=Mojica | first2=Francisco J. M. | title=Methods in Molecular Biology | chapter=Exploring CRISPR Interference by Transformation with Plasmid Mixtures: Identification of Target Interference Motifs in Escherichia coli | series=Methods in Molecular Biology | publisher=Springer New York | publication-place=New York, NY | year=2015 | volume=1311 | pages=161–170 | isbn=978-1-4939-2686-2 | issn=1064-3745 | doi=10.1007/978-1-4939-2687-9_10| pmid=25981472 }}
{{cite journal | last1=Almendros | first1=Cristóbal | last2=Mojica | first2=Francisco J. M. | last3=Díez-Villaseñor | first3=César | last4=Guzmán | first4=Noemí M. | last5=García-Martínez | first5=Jesús | editor-last=Davies | editor-first=Julian E. | title=CRISPR-Cas Functional Module Exchange in Escherichia coli | journal=mBio | publisher=American Society for Microbiology | volume=5 | issue=1 | date=28 February 2014 | pages=e00767-13 | issn=2161-2129 | doi=10.1128/mbio.00767-13| pmid=24473126 | pmc=3903273 }}
{{cite journal | last1=Mojica | first1=Francisco J.M. | last2=Díez-Villaseñor | first2=César | title=Right of admission reserved, no matter the path | journal=Trends in Microbiology | publisher=Elsevier BV | volume=21 | issue=9 | year=2013 | issn=0966-842X | doi=10.1016/j.tim.2013.06.003 | pages=446–448| pmid=23810125 }}
{{cite journal | last1=Shah | first1=Shiraz A. | last2=Erdmann | first2=Susanne | last3=Mojica | first3=Francisco J.M. | last4=Garrett | first4=Roger A. | title=Protospacer recognition motifs | journal=RNA Biology | publisher=Informa UK Limited | volume=10 | issue=5 | date=12 February 2013 | issn=1547-6286 | doi=10.4161/rna.23764 | pages=891–899| pmid=23403393 | pmc=3737346 }}
{{cite journal | last1=Díez-Villaseñor | first1=César | last2=Guzmán | first2=Noemí M. | last3=Almendros | first3=Cristóbal | last4=García-Martínez | first4=Jesús | last5=Mojica | first5=Francisco J.M. | title=CRISPR-spacer integration reporter plasmids reveal distinct genuine acquisition specificities among CRISPR-Cas I-E variants ofEscherichia coli | journal=RNA Biology | publisher=Informa UK Limited | volume=10 | issue=5 | date=27 February 2013 | issn=1547-6286 | doi=10.4161/rna.24023 | pages=792–802| pmid=23445770 | pmc=3737337 }}
{{cite journal | last1=Almendros | first1=Cristóbal | last2=Guzmán | first2=Noemí M. | last3=Díez-Villaseñor | first3=César | last4=García-Martínez | first4=Jesús | last5=Mojica | first5=Francisco J. M. | editor-last=Mokrousov | editor-first=Igor | title=Target Motifs Affecting Natural Immunity by a Constitutive CRISPR-Cas System in Escherichia coli | journal=PLOS ONE | publisher=Public Library of Science (PLoS) | volume=7 | issue=11 | date=26 November 2012 | issn=1932-6203 | doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0050797 | page=e50797| pmid=23189210 | pmc=3506596 | bibcode=2012PLoSO...750797A | doi-access=free }}
{{cite journal | last1=Garcia-Heredia | first1=Inmaculada | last2=Martin-Cuadrado | first2=Ana-Belen | last3=Mojica | first3=Francisco J. M. | last4=Santos | first4=Fernando | last5=Mira | first5=Alex | last6=Antón | first6=Josefa | last7=Rodriguez-Valera | first7=Francisco | editor-last=Liles | editor-first=Mark R. | title=Reconstructing Viral Genomes from the Environment Using Fosmid Clones: The Case of Haloviruses | journal=PLOS ONE | publisher=Public Library of Science (PLoS) | volume=7 | issue=3 | date=30 March 2012 | issn=1932-6203 | doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0033802 | page=e33802| pmid=22479446 | pmc=3316494 | bibcode=2012PLoSO...733802G | doi-access=free }}
{{cite journal | last1=Makarova | first1=Kira S. | last2=Haft | first2=Daniel H. | last3=Barrangou | first3=Rodolphe | last4=Brouns | first4=Stan J. J. | last5=Charpentier | first5=Emmanuelle | last6=Horvath | first6=Philippe | last7=Moineau | first7=Sylvain | last8=Mojica | first8=Francisco J. M. | last9=Wolf | first9=Yuri I. | last10=Yakunin | first10=Alexander F. | last11=van der Oost | first11=John | last12=Koonin | first12=Eugene V. | title=Evolution and classification of the CRISPR–Cas systems | journal=Nature Reviews Microbiology | publisher=Springer Science and Business Media LLC | volume=9 | issue=6 | date=9 May 2011 | issn=1740-1526 | doi=10.1038/nrmicro2577 | pages=467–477| pmid=21552286 | pmc=3380444 }}
{{cite journal | last1=Mojica | first1=Francisco J. M. | last2=Díez-Villaseñor | first2=César | title=The on-off switch of CRISPR immunity against phages in Escherichia coli | journal=Molecular Microbiology | publisher=Wiley | volume=77 | issue=6 | year=2010 | issn=0950-382X | doi=10.1111/j.1365-2958.2010.07326.x | pages=1341–1345| pmid=20860086 | s2cid=30143543 | doi-access=free }}
{{cite journal | last1=Miquel | first1=Sylvie | last2=Peyretaillade | first2=Eric | last3=Claret | first3=Laurent | last4=de Vallée | first4=Amélie | last5=Dossat | first5=Carole | last6=Vacherie | first6=Benoit | last7=Zineb | first7=El Hajji | last8=Segurens | first8=Beatrice | last9=Barbe | first9=Valerie | last10=Sauvanet | first10=Pierre | last11=Neut | first11=Christel | last12=Colombel | first12=Jean-Frédéric | last13=Medigue | first13=Claudine | last14=Mojica | first14=Francisco J. M. | last15=Peyret | first15=Pierre | last16=Bonnet | first16=Richard | last17=Darfeuille-Michaud | first17=Arlette | editor-last=Ahmed | editor-first=Niyaz | title=Complete Genome Sequence of Crohn's Disease-Associated Adherent-Invasive E. coli Strain LF82 | journal=PLOS ONE | publisher=Public Library of Science (PLoS) | volume=5 | issue=9 | date=17 September 2010 | issn=1932-6203 | doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0012714 | page=e12714| pmid=20862302 | pmc=2941450 | bibcode=2010PLoSO...512714M | doi-access=free }}
{{cite journal | last1=Díez-Villaseñor | first1=C. | last2=Almendros | first2=C. | last3=García-Martínez | first3=J. | last4=Mojica | first4=F. J. M. | title=Diversity of CRISPR loci in Escherichia coli | journal=Microbiology | publisher=Microbiology Society | volume=156 | issue=5 | date=1 May 2010 | issn=1350-0872 | doi=10.1099/mic.0.036046-0 | pages=1351–1361| doi-access=free }}
{{cite journal | last1=Mojica | first1=F. J. M. | last2=Díez-Villaseñor | first2=C. | last3=García-Martínez | first3=J. | last4=Almendros | first4=C. | title=Short motif sequences determine the targets of the prokaryotic CRISPR defence system | journal=Microbiology | publisher=Microbiology Society | volume=155 | issue=3 | date=1 March 2009 | issn=1350-0872 | doi=10.1099/mic.0.023960-0 | pages=733–740| pmid=19246744 | doi-access=free }}

References

Notes

Sources

{{reflist|refs=

{{citation

| last = Ledford | first = Heidi

| date = January 2017

| doi = 10.1038/541280a

| pmid = 28102279

| issue = 7637

| journal = Nature

| pages = 280–282

| title = Five big mysteries about CRISPR's origins

| volume = 541| bibcode = 2017Natur.541..280L

| s2cid = 4458992

| doi-access = free

}}

{{citation

|url= https://imem.ua.es/en/about-us/francisco-juan-martinez-mojica.html|title=Multidisciplinary Institute for Environmental - Francisco Juan Martínez Mojica

|access-date=1 August 2017 |website=Universidad de Alicante}}

{{citation

|last =Lander | first =Eric S.

|date=2016

|title= The Heroes of CRISPR

|journal=Cell

|volume= 164

|number= 1–2

|pages= 18–28

|issn=0092-8674

| doi =10.1016/j.cell.2015.12.041

| pmid =26771483