Bacteriophages and microbial interactions

Characterization of newly isolated bacteriophages targeting carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae

The paper isolates and characterizes bacteriophages targeting carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, showing ST-specific activity and potential for phage therapy.

Cave pools in Carlsbad Caverns National Park contain diverse bacteriophage communities and novel viral sequences

The paper characterizes viral communities in four cave pools, finding higher viral abundance than prokaryotes, novel viral sequences, and distinct viral communities in developed vs. undeveloped areas.

A Blueprint for Broadly Effective Bacteriophage Therapy Against Bacterial Infections

This paper develops broad-spectrum bacteriophage therapy cocktails effective against multiple bacterial strains and infections.

TSPDB: A curated resource of tailspike proteins with potential applications in phage research

TSPDB is a curated database of tailspike proteins from phages, providing 8,099 unique sequences for genomics and metagenomics analysis, with applications in phage research and antimicrobial development.

Dimer-monomer transition defines a hyper-thermostable peptidoglycan hydrolase mined from bacterial proteome by lysin-derived antimicrobial peptide-primed screening

The paper identifies hyper-thermostable peptidoglycan hydrolases from bacterial proteomes using lysin-derived antimicrobial peptide screening and shows their potent bactericidal activity.

Investigating Novel Streptomyces Bacteriophage Endolysins as Potential Antimicrobial Agents

The paper identifies three Streptomyces phage endolysins with PG-degrading activity and antimicrobial potential against ESKAPE bacteria, with LL35lys showing low MIC against Gram-positive strains.

Chemostat culturing reduces fecal eukaryotic virus load and delays diarrhea after virome transplantation

This study shows that chemostat culturing reduces eukaryotic virus load in fecal viromes and delays diarrhea in preterm piglets, but does not prevent NEC and reduces microbiome effects.

Sub-therapeutic Concentrations of Antibiotics Induce Prophage-driven Superinfection Exclusion and Fitness Cost in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

This study shows sub-therapeutic antibiotics in Pseudomonas aeruginosa induce prophage activation, leading to reduced virulence through superinfection exclusion and fitness costs.

Transcriptional antitermination integrates the expression of loci of diverse phage origin in the chimeric Bartonella Gene Transfer Agent BaGTA

The paper identifies BrrG as an antiterminator that coordinates the expression of two divergent phage-derived modules in BaGTA, enhancing horizontal gene transfer in Bartonella.

ViraLM: Empowering Virus Discovery through the Genome Foundation Model

ViraLM is a viral language model that improves virus detection in metagenomic data, particularly for short contigs, by leveraging a genome foundation model and a curated dataset.

Virome responses to heating of a forest soil suggest that most dsDNA viral particles do not persist at 90°C

The paper examines how soil viral and prokaryotic communities respond to heating, finding that most dsDNA viral particles do not persist at 90°C.

The phage protein paratox is a multifunctional metabolic regulator of Streptococcus

This study identifies Prx as a multifunctional metabolic regulator in Streptococcus pyogenes that interacts with DNA-binding proteins and transcriptional regulators, contributing to phage genome maintenance and pathogenicity.

Designing a simple and efficient phage biocontainment system using the amber suppressor

The paper designs a biocontained phage system using amber stop codon suppression to control phage replication and prevent escape.

Architecture of a pentameric assembly of the tail tube protein in SPR phages

This study reveals a novel pentameric assembly of tail tube protein in SPR phages using cryo-EM, showing structural features that influence tube curvature and genome release.

Optimized Plaque Assay for Detecting Chronically Infecting Viruses of Haloarchaea

This paper develops an optimized plaque assay to detect chronically infecting haloarchaeal viruses by modifying agar concentration and incubation temperature, successfully identifying two viruses and enabling novel virus discovery.

Understanding How Biopolymers Found in Marine Ecosystems Impact the Efficacy of Bacteriophages against Bacteria

This study examines how marine biopolymers affect bacteriophage efficiency by measuring plaque-forming units in bacterial cultures.

A novel Pbunavirus phage from the Ganges River in biocontrol of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in wastewater by downregulation of las/rhl systems and reduction of KPC carbapenemases

This paper isolates a novel Pbunavirus phage, {phi}PRS-1, from the Ganges River that effectively reduces multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in wastewater by downregulating quorum-sensing systems and reducing KPC carbapenemases.

Streptococcus Phage Genomes Reveal Extensive Diversity, New Taxonomic Insights, and Novel Endolysin-Derived Antimicrobial Peptides

This study analyzes 709 Streptococcus phage genomes to revise taxonomy and identify novel endolysin-derived antimicrobial peptides with therapeutic potential.

The packaging signal of Xanthomonas integrative filamentous phages

The paper identifies and characterizes the packaging signal of two Xanthomonas integrative filamentous phages, revealing structural and functional insights into their assembly mechanism.

An E. coli-based platform for the production and assembly of anellovirus vectors

This paper develops an E. coli-based system for producing anellovirus vectors for gene therapy, demonstrating successful expression and assembly of capsid proteins.

Directed evolution of bacteriophages: impacts of prolific prophage

This study shows that prophages can drive observed host-range expansion in directed evolution experiments, emphasizing the need for sequencing to verify phage origins in phage therapy applications.

Identification of a large cohort of Enterobacter jumbo phages with broad host ranges across pathogenic Gammaproteobacteria

The paper identifies eight Enterobacter jumbo phages with broad host ranges across pathogenic Gammaproteobacteria, suggesting potential as antibiotic alternatives.

Evolutionary strategies of Klebsiella phages in a host-diverse environment

This study evolves a 12-phage cocktail in a diverse Klebsiella environment, revealing strategies for host range modulation through receptor binding proteins and ecological dynamics.

The life history traits of phages in a cocktail determine coinfection dynamics and efficacy

This study examines how phage life history traits affect coinfection dynamics and cocktail efficacy using experimental and modeling approaches.

Genomic landscape of antiviral defense systems in prokaryotes and phages

This study systematically analyzes 132 antiviral defense systems across 212,599 prokaryotic genomes, revealing their diversity and distribution among bacteria, archaea, and viruses.

Bacterial defense and phage counter-defense lead to coexistence in a modeled ecosystem

The paper develops a mathematical model to study bacterial-phage coexistence, showing stable coexistence arises from evolutionary dynamics of defense and counter-defense systems.

V- and VL-Scores Uncover Viral Signatures and Origins of Protein Families

The paper introduces V-score and VL-score metrics to identify viral signatures in protein families and genomes, finding 38-77% of families are linked to viruses, up to 17x more auxiliary viral genes.

Topological rearrangements activate the HerA-DUF anti-phage defense system

The paper identifies topological rearrangements in the HerA-DUF complex that activate the anti-phage defense system, challenging the idea that oligomerization alone is sufficient for immune signaling.

Depletion of m6A-RNA in Escherichia coli reduces the infectious potential of T5 bacteriophage

This study shows that reducing m6A RNA levels in E. coli decreases T5 phage infection efficiency but not other phages.

Revisiting typing systems for group B Streptococcus (GBS) prophages: an application in prophage detection and classification in GBS isolates from Argentina

This paper improves prophage typing for GBS by integrating phylogenetic analysis and integrase typing, identifying 29 prophage types in 615 GBS genomes, including 2 novel integrase subtypes.