Publications by authors named "Florian T Hoffmann"

Transposon-encoded tnpB and iscB genes encode RNA-guided DNA nucleases that promote their own selfish spread through targeted DNA cleavage and homologous recombination. These widespread gene families were repeatedly domesticated over evolutionary timescales, leading to the emergence of diverse CRISPR-associated nucleases including Cas9 and Cas12 (refs. ).

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Transposon-encoded genes encode RNA-guided DNA nucleases that promote their own selfish spread through targeted DNA cleavage and homologous recombination. This widespread gene family was repeatedly domesticated over evolutionary timescales, leading to the emergence of diverse CRISPR-associated nucleases including Cas9 and Cas12. We set out to test the hypothesis that TnpB nucleases may have also been repurposed for novel, unexpected functions other than CRISPR-Cas.

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Insertion sequences are compact and pervasive transposable elements found in bacteria, which encode only the genes necessary for their mobilization and maintenance. IS200- and IS605-family transposons undergo 'peel-and-paste' transposition catalysed by a TnpA transposase, but they also encode diverse, TnpB- and IscB-family proteins that are evolutionarily related to the CRISPR-associated effectors Cas12 and Cas9, respectively. Recent studies have demonstrated that TnpB and IscB function as RNA-guided DNA endonucleases, but the broader biological role of this activity has remained enigmatic.

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Insertion sequences (IS) are compact and pervasive transposable elements found in bacteria, which encode only the genes necessary for their mobilization and maintenance. IS /IS elements undergo 'peel-and-paste' transposition catalyzed by a TnpA transposase, but intriguingly, they also encode diverse, TnpB- and IscB-family proteins that are evolutionarily related to the CRISPR-associated effectors Cas12 and Cas9, respectively. Recent studies demonstrated that TnpB-family enzymes function as RNA-guided DNA endonucleases, but the broader biological role of this activity has remained enigmatic.

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Bacterial transposons are pervasive mobile genetic elements that use distinct DNA-binding proteins for horizontal transmission. For example, Escherichia coli Tn7 homes to a specific attachment site using TnsD, whereas CRISPR-associated transposons use type I or type V Cas effectors to insert downstream of target sites specified by guide RNAs. Despite this targeting diversity, transposition invariably requires TnsB, a DDE-family transposase that catalyses DNA excision and insertion, and TnsC, a AAA+ ATPase that is thought to communicate between transposase and targeting proteins.

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