Anti-CRISPR AcrVA2 Triggers Translation-Coupled Decay of Cas12a mRNA
Nature reports that AcrVA2 inhibits Cas12a not by blocking its activity, but by causing translation-coupled degradation of cas12a mRNA: AcrVA2 binds near Cas12a’s N-terminus and, using its C-terminal domain that associates with ribosomes, promotes selective mRNA decay during translation, downregulating Cas12a production. This mechanism, conserved in AcrVA2 homologs on mobile genetic elements, points to a broader bacterial regulatory strategy and molecular conflict over Cas12a biogenesis.