Achilles Heel: Type VII Toxin/Antitoxin System Hha/TomB Facilitates Phage Infection by Regulating Cryptic Prophage Lytic Genes
Eunsol Seo, Maura E Cingle, Hadar Ben‐Yoav, Ilana Kolodkin‐Gal, Thomas Keith Wood
The paper shows that the Hha/TomB type VII TA system in E. coli promotes phage infection by activating cryptic prophage lytic genes, contrary to the typical phage inhibition role of TAs.
bioRxiv · Oct 30, 2026 · PreprintMolecular Biology