JOURNAL ARTICLE

Nucleotides on the frontline: Nucleotide-centric defense systems reveal a core principle in bacterial antiviral immunity.

  • Published In: Science, 2025, v. 390, n. 6774. P. 686 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Tal, Nitzan 3 of 3

Abstract

Bacteria have evolved a wide range of defense mechanisms to resist bacteriophage infection. Although CRISPR-Cas and restriction-modification systems have been studied for decades (1, 2), it has been shown that bacteria encode more than 150 defense systems that have unknown functions (3–6). In my PhD work, I mechanistically deciphered the functions of multiple defense systems, showing that manipulation of the cellular free-nucleotide pool is a central function of the bacterial immune system. My studies identified multiple classes of defense systems that manipulate, degrade, or sense nucleotide species to arrest infection, revealing previously unknown defensive enzymes that modify nucleotides and nucleotide- based immune signaling molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional Information

  • Source:Science. 2025/11, Vol. 390, Issue 6774, p686
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Biology
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:0036-8075
  • DOI:10.1126/science.aec9672
  • Accession Number:189291608
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