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<p>The genus <i>Brucella</i> comprises facultative intracellular bacteria, Gram-negative coccobacilli that are non-motile and non-sporulating, capable of causing a clinical condition known as brucellosis, affecting various species, including humans and animals. Recent studies have shown that the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats and CRISPR-associated protein (CRISPR-Cas) system, initially considered only as a form of prokaryotic adaptive immunity, is also involved in gene expression regulation and cellular stress responses. This study explored the presence of such CRISPR-Cas systems in <i>Brucella</i> genus genomes using <i>in silico</i> scanning methodologies, aiming for new insights into the adaptive immunity of these microorganisms. Initially, a standardized database was created from National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), containing 321 genomes from 642 chromosomes, which were subjected to two online servers for identifying potential CRISPR-Cas systems: CrisprCasFinder and CrisprImmunity. A total of 440 potential CRISPR loci and 445 spacers were identified, although the detection of Cas proteins varied depending on the methodology used. Moreover, no anti-CRISPR proteins (Acr) were detected; however, self-targeting spacers were observed, suggesting a role in genetic regulation or potential autoimmunity, as well as the presence of prophages. Understanding these interactions may enable novel strategies for pathogen control and eradication, such as gene-specific inactivation or genome modifications to attenuate virulence. Nevertheless, despite their resemblance to CRISPR-like sequences, the functional relevance of these loci remains uncertain, as they may represent remnants of ancient systems or sequences acquired from bacteriophages. Further validation will be required to determine their biological significance and possible association with functional CRISPR system.</p>

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Exploring Brucella spp. genomes for CRISPR-Cas systems

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年9月17日

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  • Leonardo Pereira de Araújo,
  • Augusto Rodrigues Lima,
  • Evandro Neves Silva,
  • Thiago Caetano Andrade Belo,
  • Laura Leone da Silva,
  • Leonardo Augusto de Almeida,
  • Patrícia Paiva Corsetti

摘要

The genus Brucella comprises facultative intracellular bacteria, Gram-negative coccobacilli that are non-motile and non-sporulating, capable of causing a clinical condition known as brucellosis, affecting various species, including humans and animals. Recent studies have shown that the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats and CRISPR-associated protein (CRISPR-Cas) system, initially considered only as a form of prokaryotic adaptive immunity, is also involved in gene expression regulation and cellular stress responses. This study explored the presence of such CRISPR-Cas systems in Brucella genus genomes using in silico scanning methodologies, aiming for new insights into the adaptive immunity of these microorganisms. Initially, a standardized database was created from National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), containing 321 genomes from 642 chromosomes, which were subjected to two online servers for identifying potential CRISPR-Cas systems: CrisprCasFinder and CrisprImmunity. A total of 440 potential CRISPR loci and 445 spacers were identified, although the detection of Cas proteins varied depending on the methodology used. Moreover, no anti-CRISPR proteins (Acr) were detected; however, self-targeting spacers were observed, suggesting a role in genetic regulation or potential autoimmunity, as well as the presence of prophages. Understanding these interactions may enable novel strategies for pathogen control and eradication, such as gene-specific inactivation or genome modifications to attenuate virulence. Nevertheless, despite their resemblance to CRISPR-like sequences, the functional relevance of these loci remains uncertain, as they may represent remnants of ancient systems or sequences acquired from bacteriophages. Further validation will be required to determine their biological significance and possible association with functional CRISPR system.