Nature Communications (May 2022)

A truncated anti-CRISPR protein prevents spacer acquisition but not interference

  • Cécile Philippe,
  • Carlee Morency,
  • Pier-Luc Plante,
  • Edwige Zufferey,
  • Rodrigo Achigar,
  • Denise M. Tremblay,
  • Geneviève M. Rousseau,
  • Adeline Goulet,
  • Sylvain Moineau

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-30310-x
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

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Phages can use ACR proteins that inhibit the adaptive immunity activities of bacterial CRISPR-Cas systems. Here, Philippe et al. show that these systems can block ACR-containing phages by targeting the acr gene, and this can select for phage mutants carrying a deletion within acr that does not block DNA cleavage (interference) but prevents the addition of new immunity (spacer acquisition).