Ancient viruses hidden inside bacteria could help defeat modern infections




The researchers studied bacteria that carry extremely old, inactive viruses and found that these dormant invaders still play a protective role. Their findings, published in Nucleic Acids Research, suggest that this defense system could eventually help design stronger antiviral methods for use in medicine and food safety.

"There's been a flurry of discoveries in the past few years related to antivirus systems in bacteria," said Wood, who led the project. "Antibiotics are failing, and the most likely substitute is viruses themselves. Before using viruses as antibiotic replacements to treat human infections, however, we must understand how the bacterium defends itself from viral attack."

How Dormant Viruses Help Bacteria Fight Back

According to Wood, scientists have long known that ancient, inactive viruses known as cryptic prophages can insert their genetic material into bacterial DNA. These genetic fragments allow bacteria to use specialized enzymes and proteins to prevent new viruses, called phages, from infecting the cell.

In this new study, the Penn State team found that a protein called recombinase (an enzyme that cuts and reconnects DNA strands) can modify bacterial DNA in response to viral threats, but only if a prophage is already embedded in the genome. This recombinase acts as a rapid-response defender when the cell detects danger.

The specific recombinase identified in this system is known as PinQ. When a virus approaches the bacterial cell, PinQ triggers a DNA inversion, flipping a section of genetic code inside the chromosome. This change creates two "chimeric proteins" composed of DNA from the prophage itself. Together, these proteins -- collectively called Stf -- block the virus from attaching to the bacterial surface and injecting its genetic material.

"It's remarkable that this process actually produces new chimeric proteins, specifically from the inverted DNA -- most of the time when you change DNA, you just get genetic mutations leading to inactive proteins," Wood said. "These inversions and adaptations are clear evidence that this is a fine-tuned antivirus system that has evolved over millions of years."

#Virology
#VirusResearch
#Microbiology
#InfectiousDiseases
#ViralInfection
#Epidemiology
#Pathogenesis
#Immunovirology
#RNAvirus
#VaccineDevelopment

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