Diverse viral cas genes antagonize CRISPR immunity.

ABSTRACT: Prokaryotic CRISPR-Cas immunity is subverted by anti-CRISPRs (Acrs), which inhibit Cas protein activities when expressed during the phage lytic cycle or from resident prophages or plasmids¹. Acrs often bind to specific cognate Cas proteins, and hence inhibition is typically limited to a single CRISPR-Cas subtype². Furthermore, although acr genes are frequently organized together in phage-associated gene clusters³, how such inhibitors initially evolve has remained unclear. Here we investigated the Acr content and inhibition specificity of diverse Listeria isolates, which naturally harbour four CRISPR-Cas systems (types I-B, II-A, II-C and VI-A). We observed widespread antagonism of CRISPR, which we traced to 11 previously unknown and 4 known acr gene familie

SUBMITTER: Katz MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11991930 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature