A processed noncoding RNA regulates an altruistic bacterial antiviral system

Abstract

The ≥10 30 bacteriophages on Earth relentlessly drive adaptive coevolution, forcing the generation of protective mechanisms in their bacterial hosts. One such bacterial phage-resistance system, ToxIN, consists of a protein toxin (ToxN) that is inhibited in vivo by a specific RNA antitoxin (ToxI); however, the mechanisms for this toxicity and inhibition have not been defined. Here we present the crystal structure of the ToxN-ToxI complex from Pectobacterium atrosepticum, determined to 2.75-Åresolution. ToxI is a 36-nucleotide noncoding RNA pseudoknot, and three ToxI monomers bind to three ToxN monomers to generate a trimeric ToxN-ToxI complex. Assembly of this complex is mediated entirely through extensive RNA-protein interactions. Furthermore, a 2-2-3-2 cyclic phosphate at the 3-2 end of ToxI, and catalytic residues, identify ToxN as an endoRNase that processes ToxI from a repetitive precursor but is regulated by its own catalytic product. © 2011 Nature America, Inc. All rights reserved.