Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The natural context in which CRISPR-Cas systems are active in Enterobacteriaceae has remained enigmatic. Here we find that the Citrobacter rodentium type I-E CRISPR-Cas system is activated by the oxygen-responsive transcriptional regulator Fnr in the anoxic environment of the mouse intestine. Since Fnr-dependent regulation is predicted in ~41% of Enterobacteriaceae cas3 orthologues, we propose that anoxic regulation of CRISPR-Cas immunity is an adaptation that protects Enterobacteriaceae against threats from foreign DNA within the intestinal microbiome.
Source: Nature Microbiology
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $12,690
Funders: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Life Sciences Research Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Harvard Digestive Diseases Center, Harvard University, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
OpenAlex ID: W4415655448