{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,13]],"date-time":"2026-10-13T00:43:05Z","timestamp":1791852185674,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,23]],"date-time":"2025-06-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1750636800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":3,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000268","name":"Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["BB\/T008695\/1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["BB\/T008695\/1"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000268","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"responsive mode","award":["BB\/Y003659\/1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["BB\/Y003659\/1"]}]},{"name":"Lister Institute Prize Fellowship to A.K. and T.R.B."},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100004774","name":"New England Biolabs","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100004774","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100005895","name":"Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100005895","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000002","name":"NIH","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["R01GM105691"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R01GM105691"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000002","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000002","name":"NIH","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["R35GM148166"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R35GM148166"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000002","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"BKK","award":["R15GM140375"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R15GM140375"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,20]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>BREX (Bacteriophage Exclusion) systems, identified through shared identity with Pgl (Phage Growth Limitation) systems, are a widespread, highly diverse group of phage defence systems found throughout bacteria and archaea. The varied BREX Types harbour multiple protein subunits (between four and eight) and all encode a conserved putative phosphatase, PglZ, and an equally conserved, putative ATPase, BrxC. Almost all BREX systems also contain a site-specific methyltransferase, PglX. Despite having determined the structure and fundamental biophysical and biochemical behaviours of several BREX factors (including the PglX methyltransferase, the BrxL effector, the BrxA DNA-binding protein, and a commonly-associated transcriptional regulator, BrxR), the mechanism by which BREX impedes phage replication remains largely undetermined. In this study, we identified a stable BREX sub-complex of PglZ:BrxB, generated and validated a structural model of that protein complex, and assessed the biochemical activity of PglZ from BREX, revealing it to be a metal-dependent nuclease. PglZ can cleave cyclic oligonucleotides, linear oligonucleotides, plasmid DNA and both non-modified and modified linear phage genomes. PglZ nuclease activity has no obvious role in BREX-dependent methylation, but does contribute to BREX phage defence. BrxB binding does not impact PglZ nuclease activity. These data contribute to our growing understanding of BREX phage defence.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/nar\/gkaf540","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,4]],"date-time":"2025-06-04T07:49:11Z","timestamp":1749023351000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["PglZ from Type I BREX phage defence systems is a metal-dependent nuclease that forms a sub-complex with BrxB"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"53","author":[{"given":"Jennifer J","family":"Readshaw","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Durham University Department of Biosciences, , Stockton Road , Durham DH1 3LE ,","place":["UK"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0008-473X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lindsey A","family":"Doyle","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center , 1100 Fairview Ave. N.\u00a0Seattle\u00a0WA\u00a0 98019 ,","place":["United 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,","place":["United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sydney F","family":"McGuire","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Seattle University Department of Biology, , 901 12 th Ave.\u00a0Seattle\u00a0WA\u00a0 98122 ,","place":["United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Julieta","family":"Peralta\u00a0Acosta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Seattle University Department of Biology, , 901 12 th Ave.\u00a0Seattle\u00a0WA\u00a0 98122 ,","place":["United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4925-467X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Darren L","family":"Smith","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Northumbria Department of Applied Sciences, , Newcastle Upon Tyne\u00a0 NE1 8ST 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