RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Bacteriophages antagonize cGAS-like immunity in bacteria
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2022.03.30.486325
DO 10.1101/2022.03.30.486325
A1 Huiting, Erin
A1 Athukoralage, Januka
A1 Guan, Jingwen
A1 Silas, Sukrit
A1 Carion, Héloïse
A1 Bondy-Denomy, Joseph
YR 2022
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2022/03/30/2022.03.30.486325.abstract
AB The recently discovered cyclic-oligonucleotide-based anti-phage signaling system (CBASS) is related to eukaryotic cGAS-STING anti-viral immunity and is present in diverse prokaryotes. However, our understanding of how CBASS detects, inhibits, and co-evolves with phages is limited because CBASS function has only been studied in reconstituted heterologous systems. Here, we identify a phage-encoded CBASS antagonist (acbIIA1, anti-cbass type II-A gene 1) necessary for phage replication in the presence of endogenous CBASS immunity in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. acbIIA1 homologs are encoded by numerous lytic and temperate phages infecting Gram-negative bacteria. Deletion of acbIIA1 renders multiple phages susceptible to CBASS, but phages can then escape immune function via mutations in the major capsid gene. These mutants suggest that CBASS is activated by, or targets, the late-expressed phage capsid. Together, we establish a native model system to study CBASS and identify a common phage-encoded CBASS antagonist, demonstrating that CBASS is a bona fide anti-phage immune system in nature. Graphical AbstractCompeting Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.