DNA remodeling couples target recognition to directional transposition in a Tn7-like CAST

CRISPR-associated transposons (CASTs) couple target recognition to the insertion of large DNA cargoes, but how distinct targeting pathways are converted into productive and directional integration remains poorly understood¹. Here we define the assembly pathway of a type I-B1 CAST from Anabaena variabilis, a system closely related to prototypical Tn7 that retains TnsD-mediated glmS recognition while incorporating CRISPR-based RNA-guided targeting². Cryo-electron microscopy structures across multiple intermediates define a structural trajectory from two-step TnsD-mediated target recognition and stepwise assembly of the AAA+ ATPase TnsC to recruitment and activation of the split TnsA/TnsB transposase module. This trajectory culminates in an asymmetric strand-transfer complex that provides a structural basis for insertion orientation and supports a role for ATP hydrolysis in productive transpososome assembly. In parallel, RNA-guided targeting structures refine the functional PAM to ATG, define TniQ recruitment by Cascade, and show how CRISPR-based recognition converges on the shared TnsABC machinery. Together, these findings establish DNA remodeling and minor-groove positioning of TnsC as a common structural signal that converts protein- and RNA-guided target recognition into directional DNA insertion.