Prophage-encoded phage defense proteins with cognate self-immunity



Owen, Siân ORCID: 0000-0001-5330-3177, Wenner, Nicolas, Dulberger, Charles, Rodwell, Ella, Bowers-Barnard, Arthur, Quinones-Olvera, Natalia ORCID: 0000-0002-4612-6819, Rigden, Daniel, Rubin, Eric ORCID: 0000-0001-5120-962X, Garner, Ethan ORCID: 0000-0003-0141-3555, Baym, Michael ORCID: 0000-0003-1303-5598
et al (show 1 more authors) (2020) Prophage-encoded phage defense proteins with cognate self-immunity.

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Abstract

<h4>Summary</h4> Temperate phages are pervasive in bacterial genomes, existing as vertically-inherited islands called prophages. Prophages are vulnerable to the predation of their host bacterium by exogenous phages. Here we identify BstA, a novel family of prophage-encoded phage defense proteins found in diverse Gram-negative bacteria. BstA drives potent suppression of phage epidemics through abortive infection. During lytic replication, the bstA -encoding prophage is not itself inhibited by BstA due to a self-immunity mechanism conferred by the anti-BstA ( aba ) element, a short stretch of DNA within the bstA locus. Inhibition of phage replication by distinct BstA proteins from Salmonella, Klebsiella and Escherichia prophages is functionally interchangeable, but each possesses a cognate aba element. The specificity of the aba element ensures that immunity is exclusive to the replicating prophage, and cannot be exploited by heterologous BstA-encoding phages. BstA allows prophages to defend host cells against exogenous phage attack, without sacrificing their own lytic autonomy.

Item Type: Article
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 30 Jul 2020 13:19
Last Modified: 18 Jan 2023 23:39
DOI: 10.1101/2020.07.13.199331
Open Access URL: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.13...
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3095441

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