Antagonistic conflict between transposon-encoded introns and guide RNAs

TnpB nucleases represent the evolutionary precursors to CRISPR-Cas12 and are widespread in all domains of life. IS605-family TnpB homologs function in bacteria as programmable RNA-guided homing endonucleases driving transposon maintenance through DSB-stimulated homologous recombination. Here we uncover molecular mechanisms of transposition lifecycle of IS607-family elements that, remarkably, also encode group I introns. We discover molecular features for a candidate IStron from Clostridium botulinum that allow the element to carefully control the relative levels of spliced products versus functional guide RNAs. Our results suggest that IStron transcripts have evolved a sensitive equilibrium to balance competing and mutually exclusive activities that promote transposon maintenance while limiting adverse fitness costs on the host. Collectively, this work highlights molecular innovation in the multi-functional utility of transposon-encoded noncoding RNAs.