Identification of an anti-CRISPR protein that inhibits the CRISPR-Cas type I-B system in Clostridioides difficile

Abstract

CRISPR-Cas systems provide their prokaryotic hosts with adaptive immunity against mobile genetic elements. Many bacteriophages encode anti-CRISPR (Acr) proteins that inhibit host defense. The identification of Acr proteins is challenging due to their small size and high sequence diversity, and only a limited number has been characterized to date. In this study, we report the discovery of a novel Acr protein, AcrIB2, encoded by the {varphi}CD38-2 Clostridioides difficile phage that efficiently inhibits interference by the type I-B CRISPR-Cas system of the host and likely acts as a DNA mimic. Most C. difficile strains contain two cas operons, one encoding a full set of interference and adaptation proteins and another encoding interference proteins only. Unexpectedly, we show that only the partial operon is required for interference and is subject to inhibition by AcrIB2.