A. R. Davidson

Prophages express a type IV pilus component to provide anti-phage defence

The paper identifies prophage-encoded proteins similar to FimU, which replace bacterial cell surface components to defend against phage infection.

Prophages block cell surface receptors to ensure survival of their viral progeny

The paper identifies a prophage protein that modulates pilus dynamics to prevent phage progeny destruction, enhancing survival through quorum sensing.

Taxonomy of interventions at academic institutions to improve research quality

This paper reviews and classifies interventions at academic institutions to improve research quality, reproducibility, and reduce waste by analyzing 11 peer-reviewed articles and 93 interventions.

A contractile injection system mediates developmentally regulated intra-strain cell death in Streptomyces coelicolor

This study shows that eCIS in Streptomyces coelicolor mediate developmentally regulated intra-strain cell death, not defense against other species.

Diverse innate immune factors protect yeast from lethal viral pathogenesis

This study identifies conserved antiviral systems in yeast by showing that innate immune factors prevent lethal viral pathogenesis caused by the endogenous L-A virus.

Structural and mechanistic insight into CRISPR-Cas9 inhibition by anti-CRISPR protein AcrIIC4

This study investigates how AcrIIC4 inhibits CRISPR-Cas9 by binding to its Recognition Domain and blocking DNA cleavage through conformational changes.

F-type Pyocins are Diverse Non-Contractile Phage Tail-Like Weapons for Killing Pseudomonas aeruginosa

This paper investigates F-type pyocins, showing they are diverse, potent bacteriocins with distinct killing specificities and potential as anti-bacterial therapeutics.

An anti-CRISPR protein induces strong non-specific DNA binding activity in a CRISPR-Cas complex

This study shows that AcrIF9 enhances non-specific DNA binding in a CRISPR-Cas complex, which is conserved across homologues and suggests a new mechanism for Acr function.

Listeria phages induce Cas9 degradation to protect lysogenic genomes

This study identifies AcrIIA1 as a phage-encoded protein that inhibits Cas9 in Listeria monocytogenes by promoting its degradation, protecting lysogenic genomes.

Bacteria defend against phages through type IV pilus glycosylation

This study shows that glycosylation of type IV pili in Pseudomonas aeruginosa protects against phage infection by masking binding sites, and identifies phage tail proteins that enable infection of glycosylated pili.