The Experts below are selected from a list of 1091184 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Jennifer A Doudna - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Massively parallel kinetic profiling of natural and engineered CRISPR nucleases
Nature Biotechnology, 2021Co-Authors: Stephen K. Jones, Jennifer A Doudna, John A. Hawkins, Nicole V. Johnson, Cheulhee Jung, James R. Rybarski, Janice S. Chen, William H. Press, Ilya J. FinkelsteinAbstract:Engineered Sp Cas9s and As Cas12a cleave fewer off-target genomic sites than wild-type (wt) Cas9. However, understanding their fidelity, mechanisms and cleavage outcomes requires systematic profiling across mispaired target DNAs. Here we describe NucleaSeq—nuclease digestion and deep sequencing—a massively parallel platform that measures the cleavage kinetics and time-resolved cleavage products for over 10,000 targets containing mismatches, insertions and deletions relative to the guide RNA. Combining cleavage rates and binding specificities on the same target libraries, we benchmarked five Sp Cas9 variants and As Cas12a. A biophysical model built from these data sets revealed mechanistic insights into off-target cleavage. Engineered Cas9s, especially Cas9-HF1, dramatically increased cleavage specificity but not binding specificity compared to wtCas9. Surprisingly, As Cas12a cleavage specificity differed little from that of wtCas9. Initial DNA cleavage sites and end trimming varied by nuclease, guide RNA and the positions of mispaired nucleotides. More broadly, NucleaSeq enables rapid, quantitative and systematic comparisons of specificity and cleavage outcomes across engineered and natural nucleases. The enzymatic properties of RNA-guided nucleases are revealed through massively parallel analysis.
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surveillance and processing of foreign dna by the escherichia coli crispr cas system
Cell, 2015Co-Authors: Sy Redding, Blake Wiedenheft, Samuel H Sternberg, Myles Marshall, Bryan Gibb, Prashant Bhat, Chantal K Guegler, Jennifer A Doudna, Eric C GreeneAbstract:CRISPR-Cas adaptive immune systems protect bacteria and archaea against foreign genetic elements. In Escherichia coli, Cascade (CRISPR-associated complex for antiviral defense) is an RNA-guided surveillance complex that binds foreign DNA and recruits Cas3, a trans-acting nuclease helicase for target degradation. Here, we use single-molecule imaging to visualize Cascade and Cas3 binding to foreign DNA targets. Our analysis reveals two distinct pathways dictated by the presence or absence of a protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM). Binding to a protospacer flanked by a PAM recruits a nuclease-active Cas3 for degradation of short single-stranded regions of target DNA, whereas PAM mutations elicit an alternative pathway that recruits a nuclease-inactive Cas3 through a mechanism that is dependent on the Cas1 and Cas2 proteins. These findings explain how target recognition by Cascade can elicit distinct outcomes and support a model for acquisition of new spacer sequences through a mechanism involving processive, ATP-dependent Cas3 translocation along foreign DNA.
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Integrase-mediated spacer acquisition during CRISPR–Cas adaptive immunity
Nature, 2015Co-Authors: James K Nunez, Amy S. Y. Lee, Alan Engelman, Jennifer A DoudnaAbstract:The once fanciful idea that bacteria might have immunological memory became accepted fact with the discovery that the CRISPR–Cas gene loci evolve rapidly to acquire short phage sequences, or spacers, which then integrate between CRISPR repeats and constitute a record of phage infection. These spacers are transcribed into small CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) that are used to target the DNA of invading viruses. Two papers published in this issue of Nature describe molecular details about how bacteria create a DNA memory of the invading virus. Jennifer Doudna and colleagues show that the purified Escherichia coli Cas1–Cas2 complex integrates oligonucleotide DNA substrates into acceptor DNA in a manner similar to retroviral integrases and DNA transposases. Cas1 is the catalytic subunit, while Cas2 increases integration activity; together they form the minimal machinery required for spacer acquisition. Luciano Marraffini and colleagues show that in the type II CRISPR–Cas system of Streptococcus pyogenes , the Cas9 nuclease that inactivates invading viral DNA using the crRNA as a guide is also required for the incorporation of new spacer sequences, by a yet to be determined mechanism. Bacteria and archaea insert spacer sequences acquired from foreign DNAs into CRISPR loci to generate immunological memory. The Escherichia coli Cas1–Cas2 complex mediates spacer acquisition in vivo , but the molecular mechanism of this process is unknown. Here we show that the purified Cas1–Cas2 complex integrates oligonucleotide DNA substrates into acceptor DNA to yield products similar to those generated by retroviral integrases and transposases. Cas1 is the catalytic subunit and Cas2 substantially increases integration activity. Protospacer DNA with free 3′-OH ends and supercoiled target DNA are required, and integration occurs preferentially at the ends of CRISPR repeats and at sequences adjacent to cruciform structures abutting AT-rich regions, similar to the CRISPR leader sequence. Our results demonstrate the Cas1–Cas2 complex to be the minimal machinery that catalyses spacer DNA acquisition and explain the significance of CRISPR repeats in providing sequence and structural specificity for Cas1–Cas2-mediated adaptive immunity. The bacterial CRISPR/Cas system acquires short phage sequences known as spacers that integrate between CRISPR repeats and constitute a record of phage infection; this study shows that the Cas1–Cas2 complex is the minimal machinery required for spacer acquisition and the complex integrates oligonucleotide DNA substrates into acceptor DNA in a manner similar to retroviral integrases and DNA transposases with Cas 1 as the catalytic subunit and Cas2 acting to increase integration activity.
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integrase mediated spacer acquisition during crispr cas adaptive immunity
Nature, 2015Co-Authors: James K Nunez, Amy S. Y. Lee, Alan Engelman, Jennifer A DoudnaAbstract:Bacteria and archaea insert spacer sequences acquired from foreign DNAs into CRISPR loci to generate immunological memory. The Escherichia coli Cas1-Cas2 complex mediates spacer acquisition in vivo, but the molecular mechanism of this process is unknown. Here we show that the purified Cas1-Cas2 complex integrates oligonucleotide DNA substrates into acceptor DNA to yield products similar to those generated by retroviral integrases and transposases. Cas1 is the catalytic subunit and Cas2 substantially increases integration activity. Protospacer DNA with free 3'-OH ends and supercoiled target DNA are required, and integration occurs preferentially at the ends of CRISPR repeats and at sequences adjacent to cruciform structures abutting AT-rich regions, similar to the CRISPR leader sequence. Our results demonstrate the Cas1-Cas2 complex to be the minimal machinery that catalyses spacer DNA acquisition and explain the significance of CRISPR repeats in providing sequence and structural specificity for Cas1-Cas2-mediated adaptive immunity.
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cas1 cas2 complex formation mediates spacer acquisition during crispr cas adaptive immunity
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, 2014Co-Authors: James K Nunez, Philip J Kranzusch, Jonas Noeske, Addison V Wright, Christopher W Davies, Jennifer A DoudnaAbstract:The initial stage of CRISPR–Cas immunity involves the acquisition of foreign DNA spacer segments into the host genomic CRISPR locus. The nucleases Cas1 and Cas2 are the only proteins conserved amongst all CRISPR–Cas systems, yet the molecular functions of these proteins during immunity are unknown. Here we show that Cas1 and Cas2 from Escherichia coli form a stable complex that is essential for spacer acquisition and determine the 2.3-A resolution crystal structure of the Cas1–Cas2 complex. Mutations that perturb Cas1–Cas2 complex formation disrupt CRISPR DNA recognition and spacer acquisition in vivo. Unlike Cas1, active site mutants of Cas2 can still acquire new spacers indicating a non-enzymatic role of Cas2 during immunity. These results reveal the universal roles of Cas1 and Cas2 and suggest a mechanism by which Cas1–Cas2 complexes specify sites of CRISPR spacer integration.
Joseph Bondydenomy - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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listeria phages induce Cas9 degradation to protect lysogenic genomes
Cell Host & Microbe, 2020Co-Authors: Beatriz A Osuna, Caroline Mahendra, Shweta Karambelkar, Kathleen A Christie, Bianca Garcia, Alan R Davidson, Benjamin P Kleinstiver, Samuel Kilcher, Joseph BondydenomyAbstract:Summary Bacterial CRISPR-Cas systems employ RNA-guided nucleases to destroy phage (viral) DNA. Phages, in turn, have evolved diverse “anti-CRISPR” proteins (Acrs) to counteract acquired immunity. In Listeria monocytogenes, prophages encode two to three distinct anti-Cas9 proteins, with acrIIA1 always present. However, the significance of AcrIIA1’s pervasiveness and its mechanism are unknown. Here, we report that AcrIIA1 binds with high affinity to Cas9 via the catalytic HNH domain. During lysogeny in Listeria, AcrIIA1 triggers Cas9 degradation. During lytic infection, however, AcrIIA1 fails to block Cas9 due to its multi-step inactivation mechanism. Thus, phages encode an additional Acr that rapidly binds and inactivates Cas9. AcrIIA1 also uniquely inhibits a highly diverged Cas9 found in Listeria (similar to SauCas9) and Type II-C Cas9s, likely due to Cas9 HNH domain conservation. In summary, Listeria phages inactivate Cas9 in lytic growth using variable, narrow-spectrum inhibitors, while the broad-spectrum AcrIIA1 stimulates Cas9 degradation for protection of the lysogenic genome.
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listeria phages induce Cas9 degradation to protect lysogenic genomes
bioRxiv, 2019Co-Authors: Beatriz A Osuna, Caroline Mahendra, Shweta Karambelkar, Kathleen A Christie, Bianca Garcia, Alan R Davidson, Benjamin P Kleinstiver, Samuel Kilcher, Joseph BondydenomyAbstract:SUMMARY Bacterial CRISPR-Cas systems employ RNA-guided nucleases to destroy foreign DNA. Bacteriophages, in turn, have evolved diverse “anti-CRISPR” proteins (Acrs) to counteract acquired immunity. In Listeria monocytogenes, prophages encode 2-3 distinct anti-Cas9 proteins, with acrIIA1 always present; however, its mechanism is unknown. Here, we report that AcrIIA1 binds with high affinity to Cas9 via the catalytic HNH domain and, in Listeria, triggers Cas9 degradation. AcrIIA1 displays broad-spectrum inhibition of Type II-A and II-C Cas9s, including an additional highly-diverged Listeria Cas9. During lytic infection, AcrIIA1 is insufficient for rapid Cas9 inactivation, thus phages require an additional “partner” Acr that rapidly blocks Cas9-DNA-binding. The AcrIIA1 N-terminal domain (AcrIIA1NTD) is dispensable for anti-CRISPR activity; instead it is required for optimal phage replication through direct transcriptional repression of the anti-CRISPR locus. AcrIIA1NTD is widespread amongst Firmicutes, can repress anti-CRISPR deployment by other phages, and has been co-opted by hosts potentially as an “anti-anti-CRISPR.” In summary, Listeria phages utilize narrow-spectrum inhibitors of DNA binding to rapidly inactivate Cas9 in lytic growth and the broad-spectrum AcrIIA1 to stimulate Cas9 degradation for protection of the Listeria genome in lysogeny.
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bacteriophage cooperation suppresses crispr cas3 and Cas9 immunity
Cell, 2018Co-Authors: Adair L Borges, Maryclare F Rollins, Blake Wiedenheft, Jenny Y Zhang, Beatriz A Osuna, Joseph BondydenomyAbstract:Bacteria utilize CRISPR-Cas adaptive immune systems for protection from bacteriophages (phages), and some phages produce anti-CRISPR (Acr) proteins that inhibit immune function. Despite thorough mechanistic and structural information for some Acr proteins, how they are deployed and utilized by a phage during infection is unknown. Here, we show that Acr production does not guarantee phage replication when faced with CRISPR-Cas immunity, but instead, infections fail when phage population numbers fall below a critical threshold. Infections succeed only if a sufficient Acr dose is contributed to a single cell by multiple phage genomes. The production of Acr proteins by phage genomes that fail to replicate leave the cell immunosuppressed, which predisposes the cell for successful infection by other phages in the population. This altruistic mechanism for CRISPR-Cas inhibition demonstrates inter-virus cooperation that may also manifest in other host-parasite interactions.
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bacteriophage cooperation suppresses crispr cas3 and Cas9 immunity
bioRxiv, 2018Co-Authors: Adair L Borges, Maryclare F Rollins, Blake Wiedenheft, Jenny Y Zhang, Beatriz A Osuna, Joseph BondydenomyAbstract:Bacteria utilize CRISPR-Cas adaptive immune systems for protection from bacteriophages (phages), and some phages produce anti-CRISPR (Acr) proteins that inhibit immune function. Despite thorough mechanistic and structural information for some Acr proteins, how they are deployed and utilized by a phage during infection is unknown. Here, we show that Acr production does not guarantee phage replication, but instead, infections fail when phage population numbers fall below a critical threshold. Failing infections can be rescued by related phages that act as Acr donors, demonstrating that infections succeed if a sufficient Acr dose is contributed to a single cell by multiple phage genomes. The production of Acr proteins by phage genomes that fail to replicate leave the cell immunosuppressed, which predisposes the cell for successful infection by other phages in the population. This cooperative phage mechanism for CRISPR-Cas inhibition demonstrates inter-virus cooperation that may also manifest in other host-parasite interactions.
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cas1 and the csy complex are opposing regulators of cas2 3 nuclease activity
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2017Co-Authors: Maryclare F Rollins, Saikat Chowdhury, Joshua Carter, Sarah Golden, Royce A Wilkinson, Joseph Bondydenomy, Gabriel C Lander, Blake WiedenheftAbstract:The type I-F CRISPR adaptive immune system in Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA14) consists of two CRISPR loci and six CRISPR-associated (cas) genes. Type I-F systems rely on a CRISPR RNA (crRNA)-guided surveillance complex (Csy complex) to bind foreign DNA and recruit a trans-acting nuclease (i.e., Cas2/3) for target degradation. In most type I systems, Cas2 and Cas3 are separate proteins involved in adaptation and interference, respectively. However, in I-F systems, these proteins are fused into a single polypeptide. Here we use biochemical and structural methods to show that two molecules of Cas2/3 assemble with four molecules of Cas1 (Cas2/32:Cas14) into a four-lobed propeller-shaped structure, where the two Cas2 domains form a central hub (twofold axis of symmetry) flanked by two Cas1 lobes and two Cas3 lobes. We show that the Cas1 subunits repress Cas2/3 nuclease activity and that foreign DNA recognition by the Csy complex activates Cas2/3, resulting in bidirectional degradation of DNA targets. Collectively, this work provides a structure of the Cas1–2/3 complex and explains how Cas1 and the target-bound Csy complex play opposing roles in the regulation of Cas2/3 nuclease activity.
James K Nunez - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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integrase mediated spacer acquisition during crispr cas adaptive immunity
Nature, 2015Co-Authors: James K Nunez, Amy S. Y. Lee, Alan Engelman, Jennifer A DoudnaAbstract:Bacteria and archaea insert spacer sequences acquired from foreign DNAs into CRISPR loci to generate immunological memory. The Escherichia coli Cas1-Cas2 complex mediates spacer acquisition in vivo, but the molecular mechanism of this process is unknown. Here we show that the purified Cas1-Cas2 complex integrates oligonucleotide DNA substrates into acceptor DNA to yield products similar to those generated by retroviral integrases and transposases. Cas1 is the catalytic subunit and Cas2 substantially increases integration activity. Protospacer DNA with free 3'-OH ends and supercoiled target DNA are required, and integration occurs preferentially at the ends of CRISPR repeats and at sequences adjacent to cruciform structures abutting AT-rich regions, similar to the CRISPR leader sequence. Our results demonstrate the Cas1-Cas2 complex to be the minimal machinery that catalyses spacer DNA acquisition and explain the significance of CRISPR repeats in providing sequence and structural specificity for Cas1-Cas2-mediated adaptive immunity.
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Integrase-mediated spacer acquisition during CRISPR–Cas adaptive immunity
Nature, 2015Co-Authors: James K Nunez, Amy S. Y. Lee, Alan Engelman, Jennifer A DoudnaAbstract:The once fanciful idea that bacteria might have immunological memory became accepted fact with the discovery that the CRISPR–Cas gene loci evolve rapidly to acquire short phage sequences, or spacers, which then integrate between CRISPR repeats and constitute a record of phage infection. These spacers are transcribed into small CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) that are used to target the DNA of invading viruses. Two papers published in this issue of Nature describe molecular details about how bacteria create a DNA memory of the invading virus. Jennifer Doudna and colleagues show that the purified Escherichia coli Cas1–Cas2 complex integrates oligonucleotide DNA substrates into acceptor DNA in a manner similar to retroviral integrases and DNA transposases. Cas1 is the catalytic subunit, while Cas2 increases integration activity; together they form the minimal machinery required for spacer acquisition. Luciano Marraffini and colleagues show that in the type II CRISPR–Cas system of Streptococcus pyogenes , the Cas9 nuclease that inactivates invading viral DNA using the crRNA as a guide is also required for the incorporation of new spacer sequences, by a yet to be determined mechanism. Bacteria and archaea insert spacer sequences acquired from foreign DNAs into CRISPR loci to generate immunological memory. The Escherichia coli Cas1–Cas2 complex mediates spacer acquisition in vivo , but the molecular mechanism of this process is unknown. Here we show that the purified Cas1–Cas2 complex integrates oligonucleotide DNA substrates into acceptor DNA to yield products similar to those generated by retroviral integrases and transposases. Cas1 is the catalytic subunit and Cas2 substantially increases integration activity. Protospacer DNA with free 3′-OH ends and supercoiled target DNA are required, and integration occurs preferentially at the ends of CRISPR repeats and at sequences adjacent to cruciform structures abutting AT-rich regions, similar to the CRISPR leader sequence. Our results demonstrate the Cas1–Cas2 complex to be the minimal machinery that catalyses spacer DNA acquisition and explain the significance of CRISPR repeats in providing sequence and structural specificity for Cas1–Cas2-mediated adaptive immunity. The bacterial CRISPR/Cas system acquires short phage sequences known as spacers that integrate between CRISPR repeats and constitute a record of phage infection; this study shows that the Cas1–Cas2 complex is the minimal machinery required for spacer acquisition and the complex integrates oligonucleotide DNA substrates into acceptor DNA in a manner similar to retroviral integrases and DNA transposases with Cas 1 as the catalytic subunit and Cas2 acting to increase integration activity.
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cas1 cas2 complex formation mediates spacer acquisition during crispr cas adaptive immunity
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, 2014Co-Authors: James K Nunez, Philip J Kranzusch, Jonas Noeske, Addison V Wright, Christopher W Davies, Jennifer A DoudnaAbstract:The initial stage of CRISPR–Cas immunity involves the acquisition of foreign DNA spacer segments into the host genomic CRISPR locus. The nucleases Cas1 and Cas2 are the only proteins conserved amongst all CRISPR–Cas systems, yet the molecular functions of these proteins during immunity are unknown. Here we show that Cas1 and Cas2 from Escherichia coli form a stable complex that is essential for spacer acquisition and determine the 2.3-A resolution crystal structure of the Cas1–Cas2 complex. Mutations that perturb Cas1–Cas2 complex formation disrupt CRISPR DNA recognition and spacer acquisition in vivo. Unlike Cas1, active site mutants of Cas2 can still acquire new spacers indicating a non-enzymatic role of Cas2 during immunity. These results reveal the universal roles of Cas1 and Cas2 and suggest a mechanism by which Cas1–Cas2 complexes specify sites of CRISPR spacer integration.
Beatriz A Osuna - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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listeria phages induce Cas9 degradation to protect lysogenic genomes
Cell Host & Microbe, 2020Co-Authors: Beatriz A Osuna, Caroline Mahendra, Shweta Karambelkar, Kathleen A Christie, Bianca Garcia, Alan R Davidson, Benjamin P Kleinstiver, Samuel Kilcher, Joseph BondydenomyAbstract:Summary Bacterial CRISPR-Cas systems employ RNA-guided nucleases to destroy phage (viral) DNA. Phages, in turn, have evolved diverse “anti-CRISPR” proteins (Acrs) to counteract acquired immunity. In Listeria monocytogenes, prophages encode two to three distinct anti-Cas9 proteins, with acrIIA1 always present. However, the significance of AcrIIA1’s pervasiveness and its mechanism are unknown. Here, we report that AcrIIA1 binds with high affinity to Cas9 via the catalytic HNH domain. During lysogeny in Listeria, AcrIIA1 triggers Cas9 degradation. During lytic infection, however, AcrIIA1 fails to block Cas9 due to its multi-step inactivation mechanism. Thus, phages encode an additional Acr that rapidly binds and inactivates Cas9. AcrIIA1 also uniquely inhibits a highly diverged Cas9 found in Listeria (similar to SauCas9) and Type II-C Cas9s, likely due to Cas9 HNH domain conservation. In summary, Listeria phages inactivate Cas9 in lytic growth using variable, narrow-spectrum inhibitors, while the broad-spectrum AcrIIA1 stimulates Cas9 degradation for protection of the lysogenic genome.
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listeria phages induce Cas9 degradation to protect lysogenic genomes
bioRxiv, 2019Co-Authors: Beatriz A Osuna, Caroline Mahendra, Shweta Karambelkar, Kathleen A Christie, Bianca Garcia, Alan R Davidson, Benjamin P Kleinstiver, Samuel Kilcher, Joseph BondydenomyAbstract:SUMMARY Bacterial CRISPR-Cas systems employ RNA-guided nucleases to destroy foreign DNA. Bacteriophages, in turn, have evolved diverse “anti-CRISPR” proteins (Acrs) to counteract acquired immunity. In Listeria monocytogenes, prophages encode 2-3 distinct anti-Cas9 proteins, with acrIIA1 always present; however, its mechanism is unknown. Here, we report that AcrIIA1 binds with high affinity to Cas9 via the catalytic HNH domain and, in Listeria, triggers Cas9 degradation. AcrIIA1 displays broad-spectrum inhibition of Type II-A and II-C Cas9s, including an additional highly-diverged Listeria Cas9. During lytic infection, AcrIIA1 is insufficient for rapid Cas9 inactivation, thus phages require an additional “partner” Acr that rapidly blocks Cas9-DNA-binding. The AcrIIA1 N-terminal domain (AcrIIA1NTD) is dispensable for anti-CRISPR activity; instead it is required for optimal phage replication through direct transcriptional repression of the anti-CRISPR locus. AcrIIA1NTD is widespread amongst Firmicutes, can repress anti-CRISPR deployment by other phages, and has been co-opted by hosts potentially as an “anti-anti-CRISPR.” In summary, Listeria phages utilize narrow-spectrum inhibitors of DNA binding to rapidly inactivate Cas9 in lytic growth and the broad-spectrum AcrIIA1 to stimulate Cas9 degradation for protection of the Listeria genome in lysogeny.
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bacteriophage cooperation suppresses crispr cas3 and Cas9 immunity
Cell, 2018Co-Authors: Adair L Borges, Maryclare F Rollins, Blake Wiedenheft, Jenny Y Zhang, Beatriz A Osuna, Joseph BondydenomyAbstract:Bacteria utilize CRISPR-Cas adaptive immune systems for protection from bacteriophages (phages), and some phages produce anti-CRISPR (Acr) proteins that inhibit immune function. Despite thorough mechanistic and structural information for some Acr proteins, how they are deployed and utilized by a phage during infection is unknown. Here, we show that Acr production does not guarantee phage replication when faced with CRISPR-Cas immunity, but instead, infections fail when phage population numbers fall below a critical threshold. Infections succeed only if a sufficient Acr dose is contributed to a single cell by multiple phage genomes. The production of Acr proteins by phage genomes that fail to replicate leave the cell immunosuppressed, which predisposes the cell for successful infection by other phages in the population. This altruistic mechanism for CRISPR-Cas inhibition demonstrates inter-virus cooperation that may also manifest in other host-parasite interactions.
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bacteriophage cooperation suppresses crispr cas3 and Cas9 immunity
bioRxiv, 2018Co-Authors: Adair L Borges, Maryclare F Rollins, Blake Wiedenheft, Jenny Y Zhang, Beatriz A Osuna, Joseph BondydenomyAbstract:Bacteria utilize CRISPR-Cas adaptive immune systems for protection from bacteriophages (phages), and some phages produce anti-CRISPR (Acr) proteins that inhibit immune function. Despite thorough mechanistic and structural information for some Acr proteins, how they are deployed and utilized by a phage during infection is unknown. Here, we show that Acr production does not guarantee phage replication, but instead, infections fail when phage population numbers fall below a critical threshold. Failing infections can be rescued by related phages that act as Acr donors, demonstrating that infections succeed if a sufficient Acr dose is contributed to a single cell by multiple phage genomes. The production of Acr proteins by phage genomes that fail to replicate leave the cell immunosuppressed, which predisposes the cell for successful infection by other phages in the population. This cooperative phage mechanism for CRISPR-Cas inhibition demonstrates inter-virus cooperation that may also manifest in other host-parasite interactions.
Blake Wiedenheft - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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bacteriophage cooperation suppresses crispr cas3 and Cas9 immunity
Cell, 2018Co-Authors: Adair L Borges, Maryclare F Rollins, Blake Wiedenheft, Jenny Y Zhang, Beatriz A Osuna, Joseph BondydenomyAbstract:Bacteria utilize CRISPR-Cas adaptive immune systems for protection from bacteriophages (phages), and some phages produce anti-CRISPR (Acr) proteins that inhibit immune function. Despite thorough mechanistic and structural information for some Acr proteins, how they are deployed and utilized by a phage during infection is unknown. Here, we show that Acr production does not guarantee phage replication when faced with CRISPR-Cas immunity, but instead, infections fail when phage population numbers fall below a critical threshold. Infections succeed only if a sufficient Acr dose is contributed to a single cell by multiple phage genomes. The production of Acr proteins by phage genomes that fail to replicate leave the cell immunosuppressed, which predisposes the cell for successful infection by other phages in the population. This altruistic mechanism for CRISPR-Cas inhibition demonstrates inter-virus cooperation that may also manifest in other host-parasite interactions.
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bacteriophage cooperation suppresses crispr cas3 and Cas9 immunity
bioRxiv, 2018Co-Authors: Adair L Borges, Maryclare F Rollins, Blake Wiedenheft, Jenny Y Zhang, Beatriz A Osuna, Joseph BondydenomyAbstract:Bacteria utilize CRISPR-Cas adaptive immune systems for protection from bacteriophages (phages), and some phages produce anti-CRISPR (Acr) proteins that inhibit immune function. Despite thorough mechanistic and structural information for some Acr proteins, how they are deployed and utilized by a phage during infection is unknown. Here, we show that Acr production does not guarantee phage replication, but instead, infections fail when phage population numbers fall below a critical threshold. Failing infections can be rescued by related phages that act as Acr donors, demonstrating that infections succeed if a sufficient Acr dose is contributed to a single cell by multiple phage genomes. The production of Acr proteins by phage genomes that fail to replicate leave the cell immunosuppressed, which predisposes the cell for successful infection by other phages in the population. This cooperative phage mechanism for CRISPR-Cas inhibition demonstrates inter-virus cooperation that may also manifest in other host-parasite interactions.
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cas1 and the csy complex are opposing regulators of cas2 3 nuclease activity
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2017Co-Authors: Maryclare F Rollins, Saikat Chowdhury, Joshua Carter, Sarah Golden, Royce A Wilkinson, Joseph Bondydenomy, Gabriel C Lander, Blake WiedenheftAbstract:The type I-F CRISPR adaptive immune system in Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA14) consists of two CRISPR loci and six CRISPR-associated (cas) genes. Type I-F systems rely on a CRISPR RNA (crRNA)-guided surveillance complex (Csy complex) to bind foreign DNA and recruit a trans-acting nuclease (i.e., Cas2/3) for target degradation. In most type I systems, Cas2 and Cas3 are separate proteins involved in adaptation and interference, respectively. However, in I-F systems, these proteins are fused into a single polypeptide. Here we use biochemical and structural methods to show that two molecules of Cas2/3 assemble with four molecules of Cas1 (Cas2/32:Cas14) into a four-lobed propeller-shaped structure, where the two Cas2 domains form a central hub (twofold axis of symmetry) flanked by two Cas1 lobes and two Cas3 lobes. We show that the Cas1 subunits repress Cas2/3 nuclease activity and that foreign DNA recognition by the Csy complex activates Cas2/3, resulting in bidirectional degradation of DNA targets. Collectively, this work provides a structure of the Cas1–2/3 complex and explains how Cas1 and the target-bound Csy complex play opposing roles in the regulation of Cas2/3 nuclease activity.
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surveillance and processing of foreign dna by the escherichia coli crispr cas system
Cell, 2015Co-Authors: Sy Redding, Blake Wiedenheft, Samuel H Sternberg, Myles Marshall, Bryan Gibb, Prashant Bhat, Chantal K Guegler, Jennifer A Doudna, Eric C GreeneAbstract:CRISPR-Cas adaptive immune systems protect bacteria and archaea against foreign genetic elements. In Escherichia coli, Cascade (CRISPR-associated complex for antiviral defense) is an RNA-guided surveillance complex that binds foreign DNA and recruits Cas3, a trans-acting nuclease helicase for target degradation. Here, we use single-molecule imaging to visualize Cascade and Cas3 binding to foreign DNA targets. Our analysis reveals two distinct pathways dictated by the presence or absence of a protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM). Binding to a protospacer flanked by a PAM recruits a nuclease-active Cas3 for degradation of short single-stranded regions of target DNA, whereas PAM mutations elicit an alternative pathway that recruits a nuclease-inactive Cas3 through a mechanism that is dependent on the Cas1 and Cas2 proteins. These findings explain how target recognition by Cascade can elicit distinct outcomes and support a model for acquisition of new spacer sequences through a mechanism involving processive, ATP-dependent Cas3 translocation along foreign DNA.