Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40421801›Full record

ArticleNucleic acids research2025

A conserved nuclease facilitates environmental DNA uptake.

Juri Hanßmann, Jan Pané-Farré, Milena Meiser, Mathias Girbig, Lifei Fu, M Gregor Madej, Franziska L Sendker, Clemens Thölken, Marcus Lechner, Christine Ziegler and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nucleic acids research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Structural insights into RNA recognition by theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Juri HanßmannDepartment of Biology, University of Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-5816-0742
Jan Pané-FarréDepartment of Chemistry, University of Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-2723-2568
Milena MeiserDepartment of Chemistry, University of Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany.
Mathias GirbigMax Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, 35043 Marburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-3442-5448
Lifei FuDepartment of Biophysics II, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-7852-3491
M Gregor MadejDepartment of Biophysics II, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-9181-6387
Franziska L SendkerMax Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, 35043 Marburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-6311-0539
Clemens ThölkenCenter for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), University of Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-4328-9193
Marcus LechnerCenter for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), University of Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-9098-4960
Christine ZieglerDepartment of Biophysics II, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-3439-7213
Georg K A HochbergDepartment of Biology, University of Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-7155-0451
Gert BangeMax Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, 35043 Marburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-7826-0932
Martin ThanbichlerDepartment of Biology, University of Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-1303-1442
Rebecca HinrichsDepartment of Chemistry, University of Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany.ORCID 0009-0005-2479-9851

Funding

European Research Council 101097986German Research Foundation 505997786International Max Planck Research School for EnvironmentalMax Planck SocietyPeter und Traudl Engelhorn-StiftungUniversity of Marburg
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Bacteria acquire new traits through the uptake of genetic material from the environment, a process requiring DNA processing. However, the molecular inventory mediating this process is far from being completely understood. Here, we identify YhaM in Bacillus subtilis as a conserved 3'-deoxyribonuclease essential for the uptake and processing of genetic information in the form of single-stranded DNA. Our results show that YhaM assembles into hexamers in the presence of divalent cations, enhancing substrate binding, which is achieved through its conserved oligonucleotide-binding domain. Cells lacking YhaM show a severe defect in the uptake of plasmids and genomic DNA, but the transduction of double-stranded DNA by the phage SPP1 remains unaffected. These findings highlight a critical role of YhaM in single-stranded DNA maturation during natural transformation. Importantly, this function is conserved in various Gram-positive human pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, suggesting that it could contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance.

Indexed as

Bacillus subtilisBacterial ProteinsDeoxyribonucleasesDNA, EnvironmentalDNA, Single-StrandedPlasmidsStaphylococcus aureusBacterial ProteinsDeoxyribonucleasesDNA, EnvironmentalDNA, Single-Stranded

Identifiers

PMID40421801
PMCPMC12107432

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.