Cyclic ADP ribose isomers: Production, chemical structures, and immune signaling.

A bacterial molecule both defends and attacks

29 April 2023

A molecule produced by bacteria both protects them from viral infection and helps them to infect plants.

Bacteria are susceptible to infection by viruses known as phages. To protect themselves from such phages, bacteria have developed a molecular defense system that involves cleaving an enzyme called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), which generates small signaling molecules.

Now, a team led by researchers from Griffith University in Australia has discovered that one of these signaling molecules plays a dual role in bacteria, both activating the anti-phage response and suppressing the immunity of plants.

The team used structural biology techniques to unveil the molecular structures of the signaling molecules on an atomic scale.

This finding could one day lead to the development of new therapies for human diseases, the researchers say.

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References

1. Science 377, eadc8969 (2022). doi: 10.1126/science.adc8969