IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v11y2020i1d10.1038_s41467-020-19415-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Discovery of multiple anti-CRISPRs highlights anti-defense gene clustering in mobile genetic elements

Author

Listed:
  • Rafael Pinilla-Redondo

    (University of Copenhagen
    University of California
    University College Copenhagen)

  • Saadlee Shehreen

    (University of Otago)

  • Nicole D. Marino

    (University of California)

  • Robert D. Fagerlund

    (University of Otago
    University of Otago)

  • Chris M. Brown

    (University of Otago
    University of Otago)

  • Søren J. Sørensen

    (University of Copenhagen)

  • Peter C. Fineran

    (University of Otago
    University of Otago
    University of Otago)

  • Joseph Bondy-Denomy

    (University of California
    Quantitative Biosciences Institute, UCSF
    Innovative Genomics Institute)

Abstract

Many prokaryotes employ CRISPR–Cas systems to combat invading mobile genetic elements (MGEs). In response, some MGEs have developed strategies to bypass immunity, including anti-CRISPR (Acr) proteins; yet the diversity, distribution and spectrum of activity of this immune evasion strategy remain largely unknown. Here, we report the discovery of new Acrs by assaying candidate genes adjacent to a conserved Acr-associated (Aca) gene, aca5, against a panel of six type I systems: I–F (Pseudomonas, Pectobacterium, and Serratia), I–E (Pseudomonas and Serratia), and I–C (Pseudomonas). We uncover 11 type I–F and/or I–E anti-CRISPR genes encoded on chromosomal and extrachromosomal MGEs within Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas, and an additional Aca (aca9). The acr genes not only associate with other acr genes, but also with genes encoding inhibitors of distinct bacterial defense systems. Thus, our findings highlight the potential exploitation of acr loci neighborhoods for the identification of previously undescribed anti-defense systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Rafael Pinilla-Redondo & Saadlee Shehreen & Nicole D. Marino & Robert D. Fagerlund & Chris M. Brown & Søren J. Sørensen & Peter C. Fineran & Joseph Bondy-Denomy, 2020. "Discovery of multiple anti-CRISPRs highlights anti-defense gene clustering in mobile genetic elements," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-11, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:11:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-020-19415-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19415-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-19415-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-020-19415-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Lingguang Yang & Laixing Zhang & Peipei Yin & Hao Ding & Yu Xiao & Jianwei Zeng & Wenhe Wang & Huan Zhou & Qisheng Wang & Yi Zhang & Zeliang Chen & Maojun Yang & Yue Feng, 2022. "Insights into the inhibition of type I-F CRISPR-Cas system by a multifunctional anti-CRISPR protein AcrIF24," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-17, December.
    2. Eugen Pfeifer & Eduardo P. C. Rocha, 2024. "Phage-plasmids promote recombination and emergence of phages and plasmids," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-13, December.
    3. Ning Duan & Emily Hand & Mannuku Pheko & Shikha Sharma & Akintunde Emiola, 2024. "Structure-guided discovery of anti-CRISPR and anti-phage defense proteins," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:11:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-020-19415-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.