Antiviral signaling of a type III CRISPR-associated deaminase

Abstract

Prokaryotes have evolved diverse defense strategies against viral infection, including foreign nucleic acid degradation by CRISPR-Cas systems and DNA and RNA synthesis inhibition through nucleotide pool depletion. Here, we report an antiviral mechanism of type III CRISPR-Cas-regulated adenosine triphosphate (ATP) depletion in which ATP is converted into inosine triphosphate (ITP) by CRISPR-Cas-associated adenosine deaminase (CAAD) upon activation by either cA₄ or cA₆, followed by hydrolysis into inosine monophosphate (IMP) by Nudix hydrolase, ultimately resulting in cell growth arrest. The cryo-electron microscopy structures of CAAD in its apo and activated forms, together with biochemical evidence, revealed how cA₄ or cA₆ binds to the CRISPR-associated Rossmann fold (CARF) domain and abrogates CAAD autoinhibition, inducing substantial conformational changes that reshape the structure of CAAD and induce its deaminase activity. Our results reveal the mechanism of a CRISPR-Cas-regulated ATP depletion antiviral strategy.