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Phage biology is the scientific discipline concerned with the study of all biological aspects of bacteriophages (phages), which are viruses that infect bacteria. This includes the distribution, biochemistry, physiology, cell biology, ecology, evolution and applications of phages.
The Gabija system constitutes one of the most prevalent anti-phage defense systems and is composed of GajA and GajB. Here, using cryo-EM and biochemistry, the authors show that GajA and GajB form a supramolecular complex with a stoichiometry of 4:4 to promote anti-phage defense.
Some phages use plasmid-encoded conjugation proteins as receptors to infect their bacterial hosts, making their host range dependent on horizontal transfer of the plasmid. Here, the authors present a method for identification of new plasmid-dependent phages, and find that they are common and abundant in wastewater and their genetic diversity is largely unexplored.
The authors propose a model for the mechanism underlying how a phage defence system remains primed for infection but tightly controlled to prevent host toxicity.
Prophage-encoded anti-phage defence systems in Staphylococcus aureus protect hosts from superinfection but also prevent autoimmunity via an overlapping gene.
The defense-associated sirtuin 2 (DSR2) effector protects bacteria from phage infection by depleting NAD+. Here, the authors employ biochemical and structural approaches to reveal the inhibition and activation mechanisms of DSR2 by the phage anti-DSR2 protein (DSAD1) and tail tube protein (TTP).
This study shows that a single-stranded RNA phage binds to the Pseudomonas aeruginosa type IV pilus, leading to phage entry into the cell and the detachment of the pilus, which impairs bacterial motility.
Two recent studies provide mechanistic understanding of how bacteria employ the Gabija system for defence against phages, as well as how phages use anti-defence proteins to overcome bacterial immunity.
A combination of four phages engineered with a CRISPR–Cas payload can reduce the burden of Escherichia coli infections in animal models without inducing the host immune response.
This Genome Watch explores how large-scale microbiome studies are facilitating discoveries in bacteriophage biology and functional capabilities that are prime for translation towards advances in biotechnology and biotherapeutics.
