A team from the University of Otago discovered a new way bacteriophages disable bacterial defenses, revealing a protein that binds both DNA and RNA. This finding could pave the way for phage-based alternatives to antibiotics and advances in gene regulation. A surprising discovery has facilitated significant advancements in combating dangerous bacteria.
An international group of scientists, led by Professor Peter Fineran from the University of Otago , studied a specific protein employed by phages, which are viruses that infect bacteria. Research into this microscopic arms race between bacteria and phages is important as it can lead to alternatives to antibiotics. Published in the prestigious international journal Nature , the study analyzed a protein phages use when deploying anti-CRISPR, their method of blocking the CRISPR–Cas immune system of bacteria.
Lead author Dr Nils Birkholz, of Otago’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology, says understanding how phages interact with bacteria is an important step on the path to using phages against bacterial pathogens in human health or agriculture. “Specifically, we need to know about the defense mechanisms, such as CRISPR, that bacteria use to protect themselves against phage infection, not unlike how we use our body’s immune system against viruses, and how phages can counteract these defenses. For example, if we know how phages kill a specific bacterium, this helps identify appropriate phages to use as antimicrobials.
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