Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 19 December 2008:
Vol. 322. no. 5909, pp. 1843 - 1845
DOI: 10.1126/science.1165771
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Reports

CRISPR Interference Limits Horizontal Gene Transfer in Staphylococci by Targeting DNA

Luciano A. Marraffini and Erik J. Sontheimer*

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in bacteria and archaea occurs through phage transduction, transformation, or conjugation, and the latter is particularly important for the spread of antibiotic resistance. Clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) loci confer sequence-directed immunity against phages. A clinical isolate of Staphylococcus epidermidis harbors a CRISPR spacer that matches the nickase gene present in nearly all staphylococcal conjugative plasmids. Here we show that CRISPR interference prevents conjugation and plasmid transformation in S. epidermidis. Insertion of a self-splicing intron into nickase blocks interference despite the reconstitution of the target sequence in the spliced mRNA, which indicates that the interference machinery targets DNA directly. We conclude that CRISPR loci counteract multiple routes of HGT and can limit the spread of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria.

Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology, Northwestern University, 2205 Tech Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: erik{at}northwestern.edu

Read the Full Text


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Biological Diversity of Prokaryotic Type IV Secretion Systems.
C. E. Alvarez-Martinez and P. J. Christie (2009)
Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 73, 775-808
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Variety--the Splice of Life--in Microbial Communities.
J. F. Banfield and M. Young (2009)
Science 326, 1198-1199
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Comparative Analyses of Prophage-Like Elements Present in Bifidobacterial Genomes.
M. Ventura, F. Turroni, G. Lima-Mendez, E. Foroni, A. Zomer, S. Duranti, V. Giubellini, F. Bottacini, P. Horvath, R. Barrangou, et al. (2009)
Appl. Envir. Microbiol. 75, 6929-6936
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Group I Introns and Inteins: Disparate Origins but Convergent Parasitic Strategies.
R. Raghavan and M. F. Minnick (2009)
J. Bacteriol. 191, 6193-6202
   Full Text »    PDF »
Integrative and Sequence Characteristics of a Novel Genetic Element, ICE6013, in Staphylococcus aureus.
D. S. Smyth and D. A. Robinson (2009)
J. Bacteriol. 191, 5964-5975
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Community Genomic and Proteomic Analyses of Chemoautotrophic Iron-Oxidizing "Leptospirillum rubarum" (Group II) and "Leptospirillum ferrodiazotrophum" (Group III) Bacteria in Acid Mine Drainage Biofilms.
D. S. A. Goltsman, V. J. Denef, S. W. Singer, N. C. VerBerkmoes, M. Lefsrud, R. S. Mueller, G. J. Dick, C. L. Sun, K. E. Wheeler, A. Zemla, et al. (2009)
Appl. Envir. Microbiol. 75, 4599-4615
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Analysis of CRISPR in Streptococcus mutans suggests frequent occurrence of acquired immunity against infection by M102-like bacteriophages.
J. R. van der Ploeg (2009)
Microbiology 155, 1966-1976
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)