<i>Mycobacterium</i> Phage Butters-Encoded Proteins Contribute to Host Defense against Viral Attack
Catherine M. Mageeney, Hamidu T. Mohammed, Marta Dies, Samira Anbari, Netta Cudkevich, Yanyan Chen, Javier Buceta, Vassie C. Ware
Abstract
Many sequenced bacterial genomes, including those of pathogenic bacteria, contain prophages. Some prophages encode defense systems that protect their bacterial host against heterotypic viral attack. Understanding the mechanisms undergirding these defense systems is crucial to appreciate the scope of bacterial immunity against viral infections and will be critical for better implementation of phage therapy that would require evasion of these defenses. Furthermore, such knowledge of prophage-encoded defense mechanisms may be useful for developing novel genetic tools for engineering phage-resistant bacteria of industrial importance.