tRNA-derived second messengers confer bacterial immunity
Luis E. Valentin-Alvarado, Peter H. Yoon, Santiago C. Lopez, Yekaterina Shulgina, Conner Langeberg, Emily Armbruster, Muhammad Moez ur-Rehman, Kenneth J. Loi, Cyntia Taveneau, Isabel Esain-Garcia, Mert Koka, Zeyuan Terry Zhang, Dmitry Kashin, Frank Schwede, Gaétan Burgio, , Jennifer A. Doudna
The paper identifies a bacterial immune pathway where tRNA cleavage generates second messengers that trigger cell death via RNA-guided nuclease activity.
bioRxiv · Oct 9, 2026 · PreprintMicrobiology