Random guide-independent DNA cleavage from the Argonaute of Exiguobacterium sp. AB2.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Bacteria and bacteriophages (phages) are locked in a coevolutionary "arms race" to outcompete one another with novel systems and strategies. Regularly outnumbered tenfold by phages, bacteria have responded to the constant threat of phage predation by evolving a vast array of sophisticated defense systems. Among these, prokaryotic Argonautes (pAgos) are nucleic acid-guided endonucleases that target complementary sequences of invading mobile genetic elements (MGEs). However, as the preference for targeting MGE sequences has been demonstrated in only a limited number of pAgos, their precise physiological functions remain elusive. Here, we discovered a pAgo in Exiguobacterium sp. AB2, EsAgo, encoded in close proximity to other putative defense systems on the E. AB2 genome. S

SUBMITTER: Caniza MAM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12275329 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature