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SspA is a transcriptional regulator of CRISPR adaptation in E. coli

Lopez, S. C.; Lee, Y.; Zhang, K.; Shipman, S.

2024-05-25 microbiology
10.1101/2024.05.24.595836 bioRxiv
Show abstract

The CRISPR integrases Cas1-Cas2 create immunological memories of viral infection by storing phage-derived DNA in CRISPR arrays, a process known as CRISPR adaptation. A number of host factors have been shown to influence adaptation, but the full pathway from infection to a fully integrated, phage-derived sequences in the array remains incomplete. Here, we deploy a new CRISPRi-based screen to identify putative host factors that participate in CRISPR adaptation in the E. coli Type I-E system. Our screen uncovers a novel host factor, SspA, which transcriptionally regulates CRISPR adaptation. One target of SspA is H-NS, a known repressor of CRISPR interference proteins, but we find that the role of SspA on adaptation is not H-NS-dependent. We propose a new model of CRISPR-Cas defense that includes independent cellular control of adaptation and interference by SspA.

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