Abstract 1613 The E. coli gene YbjD functions in anti-phage defense

Bacteria have evolved numerous anti-phage defense systems, the most well-studied of which include CRISPR and restriction enzymes. Recently, genomic analyses have identified many other anti-phage defense systems. Multiple sequence alignment analysis shows that the E. coli gene YbjD is composed of an N-terminal ATPase of the ABC family, and a C-terminal nuclease of the Toprim family. This domain organization places YbjD in the Overcoming Lysogenization Defect (OLD) family of proteins, which have been shown to demonstrate phage defense in multi-gene systems such as the Gabija system or in retrons.