Structural Insights into the Regulatory Mechanisms of the Toxic Activity of Sofic in Anti-Phage Defense Systems

Abstract

The FIC domain-containing protein Sofic has recently been shown to provide robust protection to bacteria against phage infection. Sofic acts as a toxic protein, inducing abortive infection through the AMPylation of target proteins during phage invasion. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating Sofic’s toxic activity remain elusive. In this study, we identified a small gene encoding a short protein located downstream of Sofic in the genome, named AS1 (anti-Sofic1), which functions as an antitoxic protein to counteract Sofic’s toxicity. The crystal structure of Sofic revealed that the protein functions as a dimer in solution, with dimerization being indispensable for its toxic activity. Importantly, structural analysis indicated that ATP binding induces a conformational change in the C-terminal domain (CTD) of Sofic, underscoring the critical role of the CTD in mediating its toxic effects. In vitro colony-forming assays confirmed that the interaction between the CTD and the Amylase domain is crucial for Sofic’s toxic activity. Overall, our results provide molecular insights into the regulatory mechanisms of Sofic in antiviral immunity.