Phage biology articles from across Nature Portfolio

Fluorescence-labelling strategies and a suite of imaging methods are used to characterize mycobacteriophage infection in single cells and populations.

Bacteriophage therapy is evolving as a promising approach to tackling bacterial infection, even in the case of emerging antibiotic resistance. In this work, authors present the topical application of numerous Cutibacterium acnes phage in an in vivo mouse model of acne vulgaris.

To protect from host attack, numerous jumbo bacteriophages establish a micron-scale, protein-based structure to enclose their replicating DNA. Using cryoEM, the authors show that the 2D crystal enclosing this so-called phage nucleus is an assembly of tetramers linked by flexible loops and tails.

Phage-encoded endolysins released from lysed bacteria trigger neighbouring cells to convert into cell wall-deficient L-forms that are resistant to subsequent phage infection.