Project description:Bacteria protect themselves from infection by bacteriophages (phages) using different defence systems, such as CRISPR-Cas. Although CRISPR-Cas provides phage resistance, fitness costs are incurred, such as through autoimmunity. CRISPR-Cas regulation can optimise defence and minimise these costs. We recently developed a genome-wide functional genomics approach (SorTn-seq) for high-throughput discovery of regulators of bacterial gene expression. Here, we applied SorTn-seq to identify loci influencing expression of the two type III-A Serratia CRISPR arrays. Multiple genes affected CRISPR expression, including those involved in outer membrane and lipopolysaccharide synthesis. By comparing loci affecting type III CRISPR arrays and cas operon expression, we identified PigU (LrhA) as a repressor that co-ordinately controls both arrays and cas genes. By repressing type III-A CRISPR-Cas expression, PigU shuts off CRISPR-Cas interference against plasmids and phages. PigU also represses interference and CRISPR adaptation by the type I-F system, which is also present in Serratia. RNA sequencing demonstrated that PigU is a global regulator that controls secondary metabolite production and motility, in addition to CRISPR-Cas immunity. Increased PigU also resulted in elevated expression of three Serratia prophages, indicating their likely induction upon sensing PigU-induced cellular changes. In summary, PigU is a major regulator of CRISPR-Cas immunity in Serratia.
Project description:We identified hankyphage prophages within B. thetaiotaomicron isolates gathered from French hospitals. We extracted genomic DNA from an overnight culture from a single colony of each strain and sequenced them using Nanopore sequencing using the Plasmidsaurus platform. This long-read approach helped the assembly of the phages and determination of the hankyphage ends. We also improved the annotation of the reference hankyphage (hankyphage p00 from P. dorei HM719) using a structural prediction approach and annotated our B. thetaiotaomicron hankyphages using this new annotation. In this project we upload the genomic raw reads of nanopore sequencing of our hankyphage-bearing B. thetaiotaomicron collection (jmh strains) and the processed assembled hankyphages.
Project description:During infection, phages manipulate bacteria to redirect metabolism towards viral proliferation. To counteract phages, some bacteria employ CRISPR-Cas systems that provide adaptive immunity. While CRISPR-Cas mechanisms have been studied extensively, their effects on both the phage and the host during phage infection remains poorly understood. Here, we analysed the infection of Serratia by a siphovirus (JS26) and the transcriptomic response with, or without type I-E or I-F CRISPR-Cas immunity. In non-immune Serratia, phage infection altered bacterial metabolism by upregulating anaerobic respiration and amino acid biosynthesis genes, while flagella production was suppressed. Furthermore, phage proliferation required a late-expressed viral Cas4, which did not influence CRISPR adaptation. While type I-E and I-F immunity provided robust defence against phage infection, phage development still impacted the bacterial host. Moreover, DNA repair and SOS response pathways were upregulated during type I immunity. We also discovered that the type I-F system is controlled by a positive autoregulatory feedback loop that is activated upon phage targeting during type I-F immunity, leading to a controlled anti-phage response. Overall, our results provide new insight into phage-host dynamics and the impact of CRISPR immunity within the infected cell.
Project description:Genome editing was conducted on a t(3;8) K562 model to investigate the effects of deleting different modules or CTCF binding sites within the MYC super-enhancer. To check mutations after targeting with CRISPR-Cas9 we performed amplicon sequencing using the Illumina PCR-based custom amplicon sequencing method using the TruSeq Custom Amplicon index kit (Illumina). The first PCR was performed using Q5 polymerase (NEB), the second nested PCR with KAPA HiFi HotStart Ready mix (Roche). Samples were sequenced paired-end (2x 250bp) on a MiSeq (Illumina).
Project description:The global transcriptional profiles of Pseudomonas aeruginosa phages LUZ19, LUZ24, YuA, PAK_P3, 14-1 and phiKZ was obtained using the long read RNA sequencing technique ONT-cappable-seq. Using this approach we obtained a comprehensive genome-wide map of viral transcription start sites, terminators and transcription units.
Project description:CRISPR-Cas systems in bacteria and archaea provide powerful defense against phages and other foreign genetic elements. The principles of CRISPR-Cas activity are well understood, but less is known about how their expression is regulated. The cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 encodes three separate CRISPR-Cas systems. The expression of one of these, a type III-Dv system, responds to changes in environmental conditions such as nitrogen starvation or changing light intensities. Here, we found that the promoter of the respective six-gene cas operon is controlled by the light- and redox-responsive transcription factor RpaB. RpaB binds to an HLR1 motif 53 to 70 nt upstream of the transcriptional start site, leading to the activation of transcription at low light intensities. However, the strong promoter driving transcription of the cognate repeat-spacer array is not under RpaB control. Instead, we found the 125 nt transcribed leader to be bound by the redox-sensitive RNA helicase CrhR, and crosslinking coupled to mass spectrometry analysis revealed six residues specifically interacting with it. From these, L103, F104, H225, and C371 were predicted on the surface of a dimeric CrhR model. These results show that the expression of the CRISPR-Cas system is linked to the redox status of the photosynthetic cyanobacterial cell and that the elements involved are unique in that they act at two different levels. While RpaB affects transcription, CrhR engages with the transcribed leader at the post-transcriptional level. These results highlight the complex nature of the interrelationships between a CRISPR-Cas system and its host cell.
Project description:CRISPR-Cas immune systems function to defend prokaryotes against potentially harmful mobile genetic elements including viruses and plasmids. The multiple CRISPR-Cas systems (Types I, II, III) each recognize and target destruction of foreign invader nucleic acids via structurally and functionally diverse effector complexes (crRNPs). CRISPR-Cas effector complexes are comprised of CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) that contain sequences homologous to the invading nucleic acids and Cas proteins specific to each immune system type. We have previously characterized a crRNP in Pyrococcus furiosus (Pfu) that contains Cmr proteins (Type III-B) associated with one of two primary size forms of crRNAs and functions through homology-dependent cleavage of target RNAs. In the current study, we have isolated and characterized two additional native Pfu CRISPR-Cas complexes containing either Csa (Type I-A) or Cst (Type I-G) proteins and distinct profiles of associated crRNAs. For each complex, the Cas proteins were identified by tandem mass spectrometry and immunoblotting and the crRNAs by RNA deep sequencing and Northern blot analysis. The crRNAs associated with both the Csa and Cst complexes originate from each of seven total CRISPR loci and contain identical 5’ ends (8-nt CRISPR RNA repeat-derived 5’ tag sequences) but heterogeneous 3’ ends (containing variable amounts of downstream repeat sequences). These crRNA forms are distinct from Cmr-associated crRNAs, indicating different 3’ end processing pathways following primary cleavage of common pre-crRNAs. We predict that the newly identified Pfu Type I-A (Csa) and Type I-G (Cst)-containing crRNPs, like other previously characterized Type I CRISPR-Cas effector complexes, each function by carrying out crRNA-guided DNA targeting of invading mobile genetic elements. Taken together, our in-depth characterization of the three isolated native complexes provides clear evidence for three compositionally distinct crRNPs containing either Cmr, Csa, or Cst Cas proteins that together make up an impressive arsenal of CRISPR-Cas defense for a single organism. 4 Samples: Protein-associated small RNAs