Like people, bacteria get invaded by viruses. In bacteria, the viral invaders are called bacteriophages, derived from the Greek word for bacteria-eaters, or in shortened form, "phages." ...

More information: Nicholas C. Keith et al, Bacteria exploit viral dormancy to establish CRISPR-Cas immunity, Cell Host & Microbe (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2025.02.001 ...

Along with colleagues, they established that CRISPR-Cas systems provide adaptive immunity against viruses in bacteria where it recognizes foreign DNA and uses a special molecular scalpel to target ...

Like any other organism, bacteria are constantly exposed to pathogenic threats, such as viruses and plasmids. The Aviram Lab is interested in understanding how bacterial cells protect themselves from ...

More information: Christian F. Baca et al, The CRISPR-associated adenosine deaminase Cad1 converts ATP to ITP to provide antiviral immunity, Cell (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.10.002 ...

"Normally in type III CRISPR systems, you have two activities that contribute to the immunity effect," Baca says. "However, most of the bacteria that encode Cat1 seem to primarily rely on Cat1 for ...

While best known for its gene editing applications, CRISPR-Cas evolved in bacteria as their native immune system against viruses. Ancilia’s proprietary technologies leverage the natural function ...