BREX system of Escherichia coli distinguishes self from non-self by methylation of a specific DNA site.
Nucleic Acids Res
; 47(1): 253-265, 2019 01 10.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-30418590
ABSTRACT
Prokaryotes evolved numerous systems that defend against predation by bacteriophages. In addition to well-known restriction-modification and CRISPR-Cas immunity systems, many poorly characterized systems exist. One class of such systems, named BREX, consists of a putative phosphatase, a methyltransferase and four other proteins. A Bacillus cereus BREX system provides resistance to several unrelated phages and leads to modification of specific motif in host DNA. Here, we study the action of BREX system from a natural Escherichia coli isolate. We show that while it makes cells resistant to phage λ infection, induction of λ prophage from cells carrying BREX leads to production of viruses that overcome the defense. The induced phage DNA contains a methylated adenine residue in a specific motif. The same modification is found in the genome of BREX-carrying cells. The results establish, for the first time, that immunity to BREX system defense is provided by an epigenetic modification.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Bacteriófago lambda
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Metilação de DNA
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Escherichia coli
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Motivos de Nucleotídeos
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2019
Tipo de documento:
Article