(Ph)ighting Phages: How Bacteria Resist Their Parasites

Jakob T Rostøl; Luciano Marraffini

doi:10.1016/j.chom.2019.01.009

(Ph)ighting Phages: How Bacteria Resist Their Parasites

Cell Host Microbe. 2019 Feb 13;25(2):184-194. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2019.01.009.

Authors

Jakob T Rostøl¹, Luciano Marraffini²

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Bacteriology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.
² Laboratory of Bacteriology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA. Electronic address: marraffini@rockefeller.edu.

Abstract

Bacteria are under constant attack from bacteriophages (phages), bacterial parasites that are the most abundant biological entity on earth. To resist phage infection, bacteria have evolved an impressive arsenal of anti-phage systems. Recent advances have significantly broadened and deepened our understanding of how bacteria battle phages, spearheaded by new systems like CRISPR-Cas. This review aims to summarize bacterial anti-phage mechanisms, with an emphasis on the most recent developments in the field.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Bacteria / virology*
Bacteriophages / growth & development*
CRISPR-Cas Systems
Evolution, Molecular
Host-Parasite Interactions*

Grants and funding

DP1 GM128184/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States