"Uncovering the Activation Mechanism of the Gabija Anti-Phage System"
Originally Published 1 year ago — by Nature.com
The Gabija anti-phage system, a prokaryotic defense mechanism, consists of GajA and GajB components. Researchers have used cryo-electron microscopy to reveal the structures and activation mechanism of this system. They found that GajA, a rhombus-shaped tetramer, is activated for anti-phage defense when ATP is depleted by phages, leading to DNA cleavage. GajB, which docks on GajA, is then activated by the cleaved DNA, ultimately resulting in prokaryotic cell death.