Exapted CRISPR-Cas12f homologs drive RNA-guided transcription.

ABSTRACT: Bacterial transcription initiation is a tightly regulated process that canonically relies on sequence-specific promoter recognition by dedicated sigma (σ) factors, leading to functional DNA engagement by RNA polymerase (RNAP)¹. Although the seven σ factors in E. coli have been extensively characterized², Bacteroidetes species encode dozens of specialized, extracytoplasmic function σ factors (σ^E) whose precise roles are unknown, pointing to additional layers of regulatory potential³. Here we uncover an unprecedented mechanism of RNA-guided gene activation involving the coordinated action of σ^E factor in complex with nuclease-dead Cas12f (dCas12f). We screened a large set of genetically-linked dCas12f and σ^E homologs in

SUBMITTER: Hoffmann FT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12259090 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature