Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42907433›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

A phage DUF669 protein mediates post-cleavage DNA repair against host CRISPR immunity.

Heng Zhu, Shengkun Dai, Hewen Deng, Shifeng Hou, Yuelong Li, Xin Tan, Ning Jia, Nan Li, Yingfei Ma

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

9 authors.

Heng ZhuState Key Laboratory of Quantitative Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
Shengkun DaiState Key Laboratory of Quantitative Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.ORCID 0000-0001-5345-7053
Hewen DengState Key Laboratory of Quantitative Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
Shifeng HouState Key Laboratory of Quantitative Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
Yuelong LiDepartment of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Institute for Biological Electron Microscopy, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.
Xin TanState Key Laboratory of Quantitative Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
Ning JiaDepartment of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Institute for Biological Electron Microscopy, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.ORCID 0000-0002-0672-454X
Nan LiState Key Laboratory of Quantitative Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China. nan.li@siat.ac.cn.ORCID 0000-0002-7121-7579
Yingfei MaState Key Laboratory of Quantitative Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China. yingfei.ma@siat.ac.cn.ORCID 0000-0002-2563-5390

Funding

Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission JCYJ2022053011260200
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Phages have evolved various anti-CRISPR (Acr) proteins or RNA-based anti-CRISPR (Racr) to evade host CRISPR immunity by direct interference. However, whether other counter-CRISPR mechanisms exist remains unexplored. Here, we report a phage-encoded two-protein system, termed Healer, which neutralizes CRISPR immunity via a post-cleavage DNA repair mechanism. This phage replication-associated system comprises two proteins: Gp63 (a DUF669 domain-containing protein), and Gp64 (an AAA domain-containing protein). Mechanistic investigations elucidate that Gp63 acts as a rapid-response effector of CRISPR-induced DNA breaks. After Gp63 binds ssDNA, it promotes Gp64-mediated homologous recombination, which repairs CRISPR-generated phage DNA breaks and supports phage viability. Notably, co-expression of the Healer system with Cas9/Cas12 in E. coli, P. aeruginosa, and A. baumannii demonstrated high phage genome-editing efficiency. Collectively, our findings reveal an important anti-CRISPR complementary strategy, providing a promising tool for genome engineering.

Indexed as

BacteriophagesClustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic RepeatsCRISPR-Cas SystemsDNA RepairViral ProteinsDNA, Single-StrandedEscherichia coliGene EditingHomologous RecombinationPseudomonas aeruginosaDNA, Single-StrandedViral Proteins

Identifiers

PMID42907433
PMCPMC13687109

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.