The DOI matches its Crossref record; 56 of the 57 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Structural basis of Gabija anti-phage defence and viral immune evasion
Open accessPublished version of a preprint
Abstract
Bacteria encode hundreds of diverse defence systems that protect them from viral infection and inhibit phage propagation 1–5 . Gabija is one of the most prevalent anti-phage defence systems, occurring in more than 15% of all sequenced bacterial and archaeal genomes 1,6,7 , but the molecular basis of how Gabija defends cells from viral infection remains poorly understood. Here we use X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to define how Gabija proteins assemble into a supramolecular complex of around 500 kDa that degrades phage DNA. Gabija protein A (GajA) is a DNA endonuclease that tetramerizes to form the core of the anti-phage defence complex. Two sets of Gabija protein B (GajB) dimers dock at opposite sides of the complex and create a 4:4 GajA–GajB assembly (hereafter, GajAB) that is essential for phage resistance in vivo. We show that a phage-encoded protein, Gabija anti-defence 1 (Gad1), directly binds to the Gabija GajAB complex and inactivates defence. A cryo-EM structure of the virally inhibited state shows that Gad1 forms an octameric web that encases the GajAB complex and inhibits DNA recognition and cleavage. Our results reveal the structural basis of assembly of the Gabija anti-phage defence complex and define a unique mechanism of viral immune evasion.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Figures




![Extended Data Fig. 1 GajA and GajB form a supramolecular complex that cleaves phage lambda DNA in vitro. a, Size-exclusion chromatography (16/600 S200) analysis of recombinant BcGajA and BcGajB proteins, and the co-expressed BcGajAB complex. Brackets indicate fractions collected for biochemical and structural analysis with A260/280 of the final purified proteins listed above. b, SDS–PAGE analysis of purified GajA, GajB, and GajAB. Asterisk indicates minor contamination with the E. coli protein ArnA. Data are representative of at least 3 independent experiments. c, Agarose gel analysis of the ability of GajA, GajB, and GajAB to cleave a 56-bp target and scrambled dsDNA demonstrates that GajA alone and the GajAB complex can cleave target DNA only. The sequence-specific GajA target dsDNA with cleavage site described in Cheng et al.22 and the scrambled 15-bp sequence are shown below. d, Catalytic dead GajA[E379A]–GajB complex binding to target dsDNA (left) and scrambled dsDNA (right). e, Structural comparison of GajB and EcRep (PDB ID 1UAA)19 demonstrates the GajB 2B domain is rotated in a partially active intermediate position in the GajAB complex structure. f, SDS–PAGE analysis of BcGajAB mutant protein complex formation after co-expression and Ni-NTA pull-down demonstrates that mutations to the GajA–GajB interface disrupt complex formation. The GajA and GajB homo-oligomerization interfaces are not required for GajA–GajB interaction, but it is not known if these mutants remain competent at forming the wild-type 4:4 complex. Data in c,d,f are representative of 3 independent experiments.](/paper-figures/66f4912abbd04ee983506a69e7e028f9/structural-basis-of-gabija-anti-phage-defence-and-viral-immune-evasion-figure-5.jpg)







Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
Highly accurate protein structure prediction with AlphaFold
Jumper, J., Evans, R., Pritzel, A., Green, T., Figurnov, M., Ronneberger, O., Tunyasuvunakool, K., Bates, R., Žídek, A., Potapenko, A., et al. (2021) · Nature · doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03819-2 · Cited by 43,764
Coot : model-building tools for molecular graphics
Emsley, P., & Cowtan, K. (2004) · Acta Crystallographica Section D Biological Crystallography · doi:10.1107/s0907444904019158 · Cited by 30,571
cryoSPARC: algorithms for rapid unsupervised cryo-EM structure determination
Punjani, A., Rubinstein, J. L., Fleet, D. J., & Brubaker, M. A. (2017) · Nature Methods · doi:10.1038/nmeth.4169 · Cited by 11,626
UCSF ChimeraX : Structure visualization for researchers, educators, and developers
Pettersen, E. F., Goddard, T. D., Huang, C. C., Meng, E. C., Couch, G. S., Croll, T. I., Morris, J. H., & Ferrin, T. E. (2020) · Protein Science · doi:10.1002/pro.3943 · Cited by 9,521
ColabFold - Making protein folding accessible to all
Mirdita, M., Schütze, K., Moriwaki, Y., Heo, L., Ovchinnikov, S., & Steinegger, M. (2021) · doi:10.1101/2021.08.15.456425 · Cited by 9,391
Liebschner, D., Afonine, P. V., Baker, M. L., Bunkóczi, G., Chen, V. B., Croll, T. I., Hintze, B., Hung, L.-W., Jain, S., McCoy, A. J., et al. (2019) · Acta Crystallographica Section D Structural Biology · doi:10.1107/s2059798319011471 · Cited by 7,953
Systematic discovery of antiphage defense systems in the microbial pangenome
Doron, S., Melamed, S., Ofir, G., Leavitt, A., Lopatina, A., Keren, M., Amitai, G., & Sorek, R. (2018) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.aar4120 · Cited by 1,242
Self-citationLiu, H., & Naismith, J. H. (2008) · BMC Biotechnology · doi:10.1186/1472-6750-8-91 · Cited by 1,222
Helicases: amino acid sequence comparisons and structure-function relationships
Gorbalenya, A. E., & Koonin, E. V. (1993) · Current Opinion in Structural Biology · doi:10.1016/s0959-440x(05)80116-2 · Cited by 1,160
cGAS in action: Expanding roles in immunity and inflammation
Ablasser, A., & Chen, Z. J. (2019) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.aat8657 · Cited by 1,077
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 101–124 of 124
Zhao, J., Zhu, Y., Wang, C., Tian, F., Deng, J., Liao, J., Zhong, Z., Liu, J., Guo, N., Le, S., et al. (2025) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2025.03.13.642734 · Cited by 1
Elucidating the mechanisms of action and evolutionary relationships of phage anti-defence proteinsPreprint
Murtazalieva, K., Karatzas, E., Corona, F., Wang, J., Typas, A., & Finn, R. D. (2025) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2025.06.06.658234 · Cited by 1
Molecular basis of the Druantia anti-phage defense systemPreprint
Hu, H., Popp, P. F., Rutbeek, N. R., Klein-Sousa, V., Mendez, B. L., Roa-Eguiara, A., Piel, D., Pape, T., Sofos, N., Hendriks, I. A., et al. (2026) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.64898/2026.05.12.722862 · Cited by 1
An OLD protein teaches us new tricks: prokaryotic antiviral defense
Ednacot, E. M. Q., & Morehouse, B. R. (2024) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-024-46925-1
Zhang, H., Zhang, Z., You, J., Li, G., Zhang, D., Wu, H., Pan, X., Zhang, W., Zhang, X., & Rao, Z. (2025) · Chemical Engineering Journal · doi:10.1016/j.cej.2025.172155
Xu, Q., Xu, N., Tang, L., Huang, X., Tang, W., Li, M., Hu, Y., Zhang, Y., & Chen, S. (2026) · Nucleic Acids Research · doi:10.1093/nar/gkag024
It’s not me, it’s you: Anti-phage nuclease specificity inside a bacterium
Hong, A., & Bondy‐Denomy, J. (2026) · PLoS Pathogens · doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1013959
The molecular mechanisms of the ShosTA system in mediating anti-phage defense
Yang, R., He, L., Wu, Z., Wang, R., Guo, H., Yuan, R., Su, H., Chen, G., & Li, F. (2026) · Nucleic Acids Research · doi:10.1093/nar/gkag197
Ultrasensitive quantification and comprehensive evaluation of nicking endonuclease efficiency
Zhang, Y., Ishiwata, C., Kudo, N., Shimamura, S., Kurosawa, K., Nishiura, D., & Yokokawa, T. (2026) · Analytical Biochemistry · doi:10.1016/j.ab.2026.116114
Yufeng, Z., Zhang, K., He, Y., Gao, H., Zhong, Y., Wang, X., Wang, M., Wang, L., & Chen, S. (2026) · mBio · doi:10.1128/mbio.00359-26
Blurred Boundaries Between Coding and Noncoding RNAs: Insights From Phage-bacteria Interactions
Houssine, I. S. B., Johnson, K. A., & Soutourina, O. A. (2026) · Journal of Molecular Biology · doi:10.1016/j.jmb.2026.169876
Tetramerization and RNA-guided filament assembly control Schlafen–Argonaute antiphage defensePreprint
Kuzmenko, A., Radford, K., Oguienko, A. D., Lisitskaya, L., Gelfenbein, D. M., Chou, T., Kulbachinskiy, A. V., & Aravin, A. A. (2026) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.64898/2026.05.29.728809
Optimizing phage therapy with antidefense proteins acquired from the environment
Das, R. (2026) · Frontiers in Microbiology · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2026.1796329
Das, R., Kumar, R., & Tamang, B. (2026) · FEMS Microbes · doi:10.1093/femsmc/xtag032
Güzel, M. (2026) · Ömer Halisdemir Üniversitesi Mühendislik Bilimleri Dergisi · doi:10.28948/ngumuh.1944648
A repair helicase unravels the tangled web of bacterial immunity
Kotovskaya, O., & Isaev, A. B. (2026) · Cell Host & Microbe · doi:10.1016/j.chom.2026.06.010
Dual-inhibitory mechanism of the bacterial retron Ec78 antiphage defense system
Lin, Z., Guo, M., Lu, Z., Zhu, Y., Zhou, F., Zhang, A., Guo, C., & Huang, Z. (2026) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2610082123
Phage-encoded NARP3 system rebuilds NAD + to subvert bacterial immunity
Jia, Y., Liu, S., Luo, Z., Zhi, S., Teng, G., Li, M., Ma, J., Gao, R., Qu, J., Huang, M., et al. (2026) · Science Advances · doi:10.1126/sciadv.aee9000
Certain Aquatic Eukaryotes Harbor an OLD-Like Immune Defense SystemPreprint
Maaroufi, H. (2026) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.64898/2026.08.18.745644
Native pathogen-phage networks reveal multilayered defense and gut-active anti-phage immunity
Wang, B. X., Narasimhan, R., Brady, A., Wenner, N., Perez-Sepulveda, B. M., Hughes, K., Hooda, Y., Saha, S., Hinton, J. C. D., & Monack, D. M. (2026) · Cell Host & Microbe · doi:10.1016/j.chom.2026.09.009
Zhang, J., 李增儒, Ye, L., Hou, Y., Liu, K., & Min, J. (2026) · Nucleic Acids Research · doi:10.1093/nar/gkag1001
Molecular control of bacterial immunity
Getz, L. J., Fairburn, S. R., & Maxwell, K. L. (2026) · Nature Structural & Molecular Biology · doi:10.1038/s41594-026-01901-9
Aguilar–Gamboa, F. R. (2026) · Revista Experiencia en Medicina del Hospital Regional Lambayeque · doi:10.37065/rem.2026.a931
Brüssow, H. (2026) · Microbial Biotechnology · doi:10.1111/1751-7915.70462
Metadata
- Authors
- Antine, S. P., Johnson, A. G., Mooney, S. E., Leavitt, A., Mayer, M. L., Yirmiya, E., Amitai, G., Sorek, R., & Kranzusch, P. J.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- Weizmann Institute of Science (IL)
- Corresponding author
- Kranzusch, Philip J.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Nature
- Published
- 2023-11-22
- Volume
- 625
- Issue
- 7994
- Pages
- 360-365
- ISSN
- 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-4687
- PMC
- PMC10781630
- OpenAlex
- W4388913741
- Cited by
- 125
- References
- 57
- Citations by year
- 2026: 40 · 2025: 42 · 2024: 33 · 2023: 9
- FWCI
- 20.06
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Nature (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- U.S. Department of Energy (DE‐ AC02‐06CH11357, AC02‐06CH11357, grid.436923.9, S10OD021527, P30 GM124165, S10RR029205, 06CH11357, 436923.9, DE-AC02-)
- Burroughs Wellcome Fund (P30 GM124165)
- Cancer Research Institute
- Oregon Health and Science University (grid.436923.9, 436923.9)
- Life Sciences Research Foundation
- G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation (P30 GM124165)
- Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (P30 GM124165)
- Mark Foundation For Cancer Research (P30 GM124165)
- Open Philanthropy Project
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (464312965, DE-AC02-06CH11357, SPP2330)
- Israel Science Foundation (MAPATS Grant 2720/22)
- Council for Higher Education
- National Institutes of Health (1dp2gm146250-01, 1s10od021527-01, DE-AC02–06CH11357, GM124165)
- Office of Science (AC02‐06CH11357, DE-AC02, 06CH11357, grid.436923.9, DE-AC02-06CH11357)
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences (DP2 GM146250, U24GM129547, P30GM124165)
- National Center for Research Resources (S10RR029205)
- Division of Chemistry
- Biological and Environmental Research (DEAC0206CH11357, S10OD021527, P30 GM124165, grid.436923.9)
- Argonne National Laboratory (DE- AC02-06-CH11357, DE-AC02, AC02–06CH11357, 06CH11357, P30 GM124165)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Virology › Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › CRISPR and Genetic Engineering
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
- Keywords
- phage resistance, viral immune evasion, protein complex formation, protein tetramerization, phage-host interactions
- MeSH terms
- Bacteria, Bacterial Proteins, Bacteriophages, Deoxyribonucleases, DNA, DNA, Viral, Humans, Virus Diseases, Crystallography, X-Ray, Cryoelectron Microscopy, Protein Multimerization, Immune Evasion
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review