ArticleCommunications biology2026
Structural insights into the assembly and function of Retron Ec78 PtuAB.
Leyuan Duan, Lu Chen, Qian Hu, Xiao Li, Shanshan Li, Kaiming Zhang, Qingguo Gong
Abstract read
In one paragraphArticle in Communications biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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5 · Who and what moneyAuthors and funding
7 authors.
Leyuan Duan *Department of Clinical Laboratory, Center for Leading Medicine and Advanced Technologies of IHM, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, MOE Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, The RNA Institute, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
Lu Chen *Department of Clinical Laboratory, Center for Leading Medicine and Advanced Technologies of IHM, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, MOE Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, The RNA Institute, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
Qian HuDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, Center for Leading Medicine and Advanced Technologies of IHM, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, MOE Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, The RNA Institute, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
Xiao LiDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, Center for Leading Medicine and Advanced Technologies of IHM, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, MOE Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, The RNA Institute, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
Shanshan LiDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, Center for Leading Medicine and Advanced Technologies of IHM, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, MOE Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, The RNA Institute, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China. lishanshan@ustc.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7041-5960 Kaiming ZhangDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, Center for Leading Medicine and Advanced Technologies of IHM, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, MOE Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, The RNA Institute, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China. kmzhang@ustc.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0414-4776 Qingguo GongDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, Center for Leading Medicine and Advanced Technologies of IHM, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, MOE Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, The RNA Institute, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China. qgg@ustc.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3034-6008 Funding
National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 32371310
6 · The paper itselfAbstract
The Retron system is a crucial prokaryotic anti-phage defense mechanism, composed of a noncoding RNA, reverse transcriptase, and effector proteins, which synthesizes multicopy single-stranded DNA to trigger immune responses. While Retron Ec86's anti-phage mechanism has been elucidated, other Retron types remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate Retron Ec78, a Type I-A system encoding effector proteins PtuA (ATPase) and PtuB (HNH nuclease). Structural analysis reveals that PtuA hexameric complex putatively bound to PtuB, with ATP playing a key role in hexamer assembly. Beyond its known role in abortive infection via tRNA degradation, we demonstrate that the PtuAB complex also exhibits DNA-cleaving activity. These findings provide novel insights into the assembly and dual functionality of the Retron Ec78 system, advancing our understanding of prokaryotic immune mechanisms against phage infection.
Indexed as
Adenosine TriphosphatasesBacteriophagesModels, MolecularRNA-Directed DNA PolymeraseAdenosine TriphosphatasesRNA-Directed DNA Polymerase
Identifiers
PMID42106568
PMCPMC13376987
What OpenQuestion holds
Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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