Diving into the Argonaute world

Summary

Argonaute proteins (Ago) are present in all domains of life, and share a common mechanism of action. Agos use nucleic acids guides to target complementary nucleic acids targets. This thesis describes the function, mechanism and structure of prokaryotic Argonautes (pAgos) and how they can be repurposed as molecular tools. We focused on pAgos that associate with other proteins to enhance the activity. Additionally, we described a pAgo from an Asgard archaeon that resembles in structure and activity eukaryotic Argonautes (eAgos). We also reviewed the common features eAgos and pAgos share, emphasizing their role in providing immunity against invaders.