CARD-like domains mediate anti-phage defense in bacterial gasdermin systems.

ABSTRACT: Caspase recruitment domains (CARDs) and pyrin domains are important facilitators of inflammasome activity and pyroptosis. Upon pathogen recognition by NLR proteins, CARDs recruit and activate caspases, which, in turn, activate gasdermin pore forming proteins to and induce pyroptotic cell death. Here we show that CARD-like domains are present in defense systems that protect bacteria against phage. The bacterial CARD is essential for protease-mediated activation of certain bacterial gasdermins, which promote cell death once phage infection is recognized. We further show that multiple anti-phage defense systems utilize CARD-like domains to activate a variety of cell death effectors. We find that these systems are triggered by a conserved immune evasion protein that phages use to overcome the

SUBMITTER: Wein T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10312443 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature