The paper reveals a novel DNA homopolymer synthesis mechanism by DRT9, triggered by viral infection to induce abortive infection and population-level immunity.

Nature · May 28, 2025Peer-reviewedMolecular Biology

A census of anti-CRISPR proteins reveals AcrIE9 as an inhibitor of Escherichia coli K12 Type IE CRISPR-Cas system

Dmitry Taranenko, Oksana Kotovskaya, Konstantin D. Kuznedelov, Daria Yanovskaya, Alina Demkina, Sofya Fardeeva, Viktor Mamontov, Kaiya Vierra, Nathaniel Burman, Dan Li, Minggui Wang, Blake Wiedenheft, Konstantin Severinov, Ekaterina Semenova, Artem B. Isaev

The paper identifies AcrIE9 as an inhibitor of E. coli K12 Type IE CRISPR-Cas system through a census of anti-CRISPR proteins in Enterobacterales.

bioRxiv · May 7, 2025 · PreprintMicrobiology

Structural basis of antiphage defense by an ATPase-associated reverse transcriptase

Jerrin Thomas George, Nathaniel Burman, Royce A. Wilkinson, Senuri de Silva, Quynh McKelvey-Pham, Murat Buyukyoruk, Adelaide Dale, Hannah Landman, Ava B. Graham, Steven Z. DeLuca, Blake Wiedenheft

The paper determines the structure of a type I-A retron and shows how it mediates antiphage defense through DNA degradation and nuclease activation.

bioRxiv · Mar 26, 2025 · PreprintBiochemistry