B. F. Cress

An essential and highly selective protein import pathway encoded by nucleus-forming phage

This paper identifies components of a novel protein import pathway in phages, revealing a mechanism for selective protein trafficking into the phage nucleus.

A phage nucleus-associated RNA-binding protein is required for jumbo phage infection

This study identifies ChmC, a phage protein that binds RNA and facilitates mRNA transport through the phage nucleus-like compartment, essential for infection.

A transcriptionally active lipid vesicle encloses theinjected Chimalliviridae genome in early infection

The paper shows that Chimalliviridae form a lipid membrane-bound EPI vesicle during early infection, which hosts transcription of the phage genome, and demonstrates the necessity of a second compartment, the phage nucleus, for genome replication.

Genome-wide Characterization of Diverse Bacteriophages Enabled by RNA-Binding CRISPRi

The paper develops a CRISPRi-ART system to knock down protein expression in diverse bacteriophages and identifies essential genes, including many with unknown functions.

Genome-wide CRISPRi knockdown to map gene essentiality landscape in coliphages {lambda} and P1

The paper uses CRISPRi to identify essential genes in coliphages λ and P1, revealing insights into gene essentiality and highlighting potential false positives in less studied phages.

RNA-targeting CRISPR-Cas13 Provides Broad-spectrum Phage Immunity

This paper demonstrates that LbuCas13a can broadly inhibit diverse E. coli phages and enable efficient, markerless phage genome editing.

Targeted Genome Editing of Bacteria Within Microbial Communities

This paper develops a method to edit specific bacteria within microbial communities using ET-Seq and DART systems, enabling genetic manipulation in complex environments.