Interference-driven spacer acquisition is dominant over naive and primed adaptation in a native CRISPR-Cas system.

ABSTRACT: CRISPR-Cas systems provide bacteria with adaptive immunity against foreign nucleic acids by acquiring short, invader-derived sequences called spacers. Here, we use high-throughput sequencing to analyse millions of spacer acquisition events in wild-type populations of Pectobacterium atrosepticum. Plasmids not previously encountered, or plasmids that had escaped CRISPR-Cas targeting via point mutation, are used to provoke naive or primed spacer acquisition, respectively. The origin, location and order of spacer acquisition show that spacer selection through priming initiates near the site of CRISPR-Cas recognition (the protospacer), but on the displaced strand, and is consistent with 3'-5' translocation of the Cas1:Cas2-3 acquisition machinery. Newly acquired spacers determine the location a

SUBMITTER: Staals RH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5059440 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature