Structural and functional studies of the archaeum Methanocaldococcus jannaschii Argonaute (MjAgo) reveal a DNA-guided DNA nuclease that is also active without a guide. This unguided activity is suggested to prime MjAgo for its subsequent sequence-specific DNA-silencing role in host defence.
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Randau, L. Archaeal physiology: Two modes of a DNA scissor. Nat Microbiol 2, 17049 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmicrobiol.2017.49
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmicrobiol.2017.49