Argonaute system of Kordia jejudonensis is a heterodimeric nucleic acid-guided nuclease

We purified and characterized a prokaryotic argonaute (pAgo) (KjMP) and its associated protein (KjAA) from a bacterium Kordia jejudonensis. The two proteins present as a complex were revealed by the copurification of KjAA with His-tagged KjMP by Ni-NTA affinity column. The KjAA/KjMP complex was a heterodimer evaluated from the molecular weight estimated using size exclusion chromatography. The pAgo complex presented a guide-dependent target DNA cleavage. RNA was the preferred guide; however, DNA also functioned, albeit weakly. Additionally, 5′-phosphorylate or non-phosphorylated guide was equally effective. The purified complex exhibited nonspecific nuclease activity on dsDNA and ssDNA. This is the first study to report that short pAgo and its associated protein form a complex, which has a nucleic acid-guided target recognition and cleavage.