Author

Yanyao Cai

Indiana University Bloomington

Listed by name: these papers carry no ORCID for this author, so different people with the same name may be mixed together.

Biology Disciplines

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Biochemistry· 3

Signature Assays, Organisms & Methods

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Organism:bacteria (other)· 3 Approach:experimental assay· 3 Research Focus:host-pathogen & immune response· 3 Research Focus:drug response / drug discovery· 1 Assay:metagenomics· 1 Assay:proteomics· 1

Frequent Co-Authors

Joseph P. GerdtiD· 3 shared Chengqian ZhangiD· 2 shared Dziugas Sabonis· 2 shared Giedrė TamulaitienėiD· 2 shared Thomas VeiD· 2 shared Yun ShiiD· 2 shared Zhiyu ZangiD· 2 shared Anna DragošiD· 1 shared

Activity by Year

2026-2026 · peak 3/yr

Co-Author Collaboration Network

10 top collaborators · 35 mutual co-author links

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3 shared papersBiochemistry

Joseph P. GerdtORCID

Mutual co-authors in cluster

Author profile →

3 papers

Recent·Most cited

Chemical inactivation of a bacterial immune system de-domesticates a temperate phage and promotes its spread

Yanyao Cai, J. LAZAR, Yun Shi, Biswa P. Mishra, Thomas Ve, Anna Dragoš, Joseph P. Gerdt

The paper identifies chemical inhibitors of SpbK, an antiphage defense system in Bacillus subtilis, showing they promote phage dissemination and reveal mechanisms of inhibiting TIR-domain enzymes.

bioRxiv · May 15, 2026 · PreprintBiochemistry

Chemical suppression of a bacterial immune system revives repressed phages

Chengqian Zhang, Dziugas Sabonis, Yanyao Cai, Zhiyu Zang, Giedrė Tamulaitienė, Joseph P. Gerdt

The paper identifies small molecule inhibitors of the Thoeris antiphage immune system in bacteria, showing that persistent immunity is required to prevent phage revival and population collapse.

bioRxiv · Apr 28, 2026 · PreprintBiochemistry

Chemical inhibition of a bacterial immune system

Zhiyu Zang, Olivia K. Duncan, Dziugas Sabonis, Iana Fedorova, Yun Shi, Gause Miraj, Shuai Le, Jun Deng, Yuhao Zhu, Yanyao Cai, Chengqian Zhang, Garima Arya, Shelley A.H. Dixon, Steven P. Angus, Breck A. Duerkop, , Joseph P. Gerdt

This study identifies chemical inhibitors that block a bacterial immune system, enhancing phage therapy efficacy against resistant strains.

Cell Host & Microbe · Jan 30, 2026Peer-reviewedBiochemistry