{
  "abstract": "Only a fraction of bacterial genomes encode CRISPR-Cas systems, but the selective causes of this variation are unexplained. How naturally virulent bacteriophages (phages) select for CRISPR immunity has rarely been tested experimentally. Here, we show against a panel of genetically and functionally diverse virulent phages that CRISPR immunity was not universally beneficial to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and its fitness effect varied strongly between phages in predictable ways. In addition to mechanisms known to alter the effectiveness of CRISPR immunity, such as encoding a matching spacer or a protective nuclear shell, we show that the fitness effect of CRISPR immunity negatively associated with the probability of evolving receptor-based resistance to the phage via spontaneous mutation. The supply of resistance mutations differed strongly between very closely related lipopolysaccharide-binding phages and was associated with variation at the C-terminus of the tail fibre protein altering residues involved in hydrogen bonding and the predicted binding site. Our results show that CRISPR immunity is more beneficial against virulent phages that are harder to evolve resistance to via receptor mutations, suggesting that virulent phage community composition and diversity will be important drivers of the prevalence of CRISPR immunity.\n\nWhy do so few bacterial genomes encode CRISPR-Cas systems? This study of the fitness effect of CRISPR immunity against a diverse panel of phages in Pseudomonas aeruginosa reveals that a lower supply of receptor-based resistance mutations increases the benefits of CRISPR immunity.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom",
    "Environment and Sustainability Institute, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, United Kingdom",
    "Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom",
    "Department of Microbiology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland"
  ],
  "article_type": "Update Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 10,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Rosanna C. T. Wright"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Simon C. Lovell"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Anna Richmond"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Christian Harrison"
    },
    {
      "name": "Eleri Ashworth"
    },
    {
      "name": "Aras Kadioglu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Joanne L. Fothergill"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ville-Petri Friman"
    },
    {
      "name": "Edze R. Westra"
    },
    {
      "name": "Michael A. Brockhurst"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b0tnjwy3qj8ew.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pbio.3004094",
  "fulltext_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3004094",
  "id": "b0tnjwy3qj8ew",
  "issns": [
    "1545-7885"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3004094",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2303|Bacteriophages and microbial interactions"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Biochemistry/Biosynthesis"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Bioengineering/Genome engineering/Synthetic genome editing/CRISPR"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Developmental biology/Microbial growth and development/Bacterial growth"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Genetics/Genomics/Microbial genomics/Viral genomics"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Immunology/Immunity"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Microbiology/Medical microbiology/Microbial pathogens/Bacterial pathogens/Pseudomonas aeruginosa"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Microbiology/Microbial genomics/Viral genomics"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Microbiology/Microbial physiology/Microbial growth and development/Bacterial growth"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Microbiology/Virology/Viral genomics"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Bacteria/Pseudomonas/Pseudomonas aeruginosa"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Viruses/Bacteriophages"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Synthetic biology/Synthetic genomics/Synthetic genome editing/CRISPR"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Engineering and technology/Bioengineering/Genome engineering/Synthetic genome editing/CRISPR"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Engineering and technology/Synthetic biology/Synthetic genomics/Synthetic genome editing/CRISPR"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Immunology/Immunity"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Pathology and laboratory medicine/Pathogens/Microbial pathogens/Bacterial pathogens/Pseudomonas aeruginosa"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Chemistry/Physical chemistry/Sorption/Adsorption"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W4414842487",
  "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3004094&type=printable",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-11-02",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b0tnjwy3qj8ew.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-03T12:20:16Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pbio.3004094",
      "source": "plos",
      "url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3004094"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:immunology",
      "subfield": "immunology"
    },
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:microbiology",
      "subfield": "microbiology"
    },
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:bioengineering",
      "subfield": "systems-synthetic"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Resistance mutation supply modulates the benefit of CRISPR immunity against virulent phages in Pseudomonas aeruginosa",
  "title_text": "Resistance mutation supply modulates the benefit of CRISPR immunity against virulent phages in Pseudomonas aeruginosa",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-04T12:20:44Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b0tnjwy3qj8ew",
  "venue": "PLOS Biology",
  "versions": []
}