title: Modulating the Cascade architecture of a minimal Type I-F CRISPR-Cas system.
abstract: Shewanella putrefaciens CN-32 contains a single Type I-Fv CRISPR-Cas system which confers adaptive immunity against bacteriophage infection. Three Cas proteins (Cas6f, Cas7fv, Cas5fv) and mature CRISPR RNAs were shown to be required for the assembly of an interference complex termed Cascade. The Cas protein-CRISPR RNA interaction sites within this complex were identified via mass spectrometry. Additional Cas proteins, commonly described as large and small subunits, that are present in all other investigated Cascade structures, were not detected. We introduced this minimal Type I system in Escherichia coli and show that it provides heterologous protection against lambda phage. The absence of a large subunit suggests that the length of the crRNA might not be fixed and recombinant Cascade complexes with drastically shortened and elongated crRNAs were engineered. Size-exclusion chromatography and small-angle X-ray scattering analyses revealed that the number of Cas7fv backbone subunits is adjusted in these shortened and extended Cascade variants. Larger Cascade complexes can still confer immunity against lambda phage infection in E. coli Minimized Type I CRISPR-Cas systems expand our understanding of the evolution of Cascade assembly and diversity. Their adjustable crRNA length opens the possibility for customizing target DNA specificity.
authors.affiliation: Prokaryotic Small RNA Biology Group, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, D-35043 Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gleditzsch
authors.affiliation: Prokaryotic Small RNA Biology Group, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, D-35043 Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Müller-Esparza
authors.affiliation: LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology, Philipps University Marburg, D-35043 Marburg, Germany Department of Chemistry, Philipps University Marburg, D-35043 Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pausch
authors.affiliation: Bioanalytics Research Group, Department of Clinical Chemistry, University Medical Centre, D-37075 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Kundan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: Prokaryotic Small RNA Biology Group, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, D-35043 Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Srivatsa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dwarakanath
authors.affiliation: Bioanalytics Research Group, Department of Clinical Chemistry, University Medical Centre, D-37075 Göttingen, Germany Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry Group, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Urlaub
authors.affiliation: LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology, Philipps University Marburg, D-35043 Marburg, Germany Department of Chemistry, Philipps University Marburg, D-35043 Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Gert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bange
authors.affiliation: Prokaryotic Small RNA Biology Group, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, D-35043 Marburg, Germany LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology, Philipps University Marburg, D-35043 Marburg, Germany lennart.randau@mpi-marburg.mpg.de.
authors.forename: Lennart
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Randau
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D010582:Bacteriophage lambda / Q000502:physiology; D064130:CRISPR-Associated Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D064113:CRISPR-Cas Systems; D064112:Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D015870:Gene Expression; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D020614:Shewanella putrefaciens / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D014169:Transformation, Bacterial
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D064130:CRISPR-Associated Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D021122:Protein Subunits; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D011994:Recombinant Proteins