BaeR and H-NS control CRISPR-Cas-mediated immunity and virulence in <i>Acinetobacter baumannii</i>.

ABSTRACT: Acinetobacter baumannii balances its remarkable ability to acquire antibiotic resistance genes via horizontal gene transfer (HGT) with the immune defense functions of its CRISPR-Cas system, forming a dynamic equilibrium governed by intricate transcriptional regulation. However, the regulatory mechanisms underlying the I-Fb CRISPR-Cas system in A. baumannii remain poorly understood. This study elucidated a multitiered regulatory axis mediated by BaeR and H-NS that coordinates immune defense and virulence expression in the I-Fb CRISPR-Cas system. Using DNA pull-down and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), we demonstrated that H-NS directly binds AT-rich regions within the cas3 promoter, suppressing both interference activity and adaptive immunity of the I-Fb CRI

SUBMITTER: Yu T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12625773 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature