A survey of the reconstructed gene set of the last eukaryotic common ancestor shows a consistent link between Asgard archaea and the origin of numerous, functionally diverse eukaryotic genes, dem...

Nature Microbiology, Published online: 16 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-025-02239-6A library of 400 phage protein-coding genes is used to find a trove of antiphage systems, revealing systems that target tail fibre and major capsid proteins.

Recognition of foreign molecules inside cells is critical for immunity in all domains of life. Proteins of the STAND NTPase superfamily, including eukaryotic nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain ...

Here, we sought phages that were capable of infecting Patescibacteriota metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), and further explored the diversity and novelty of Patescibacteriota phages, as well as the mechanisms underlying phage-Patescibacteriota interactions in groundwater ecosystems. The abundance profiles of phage-Patescibacteriota interactions suggested that lysogenic infection may represent a mutually adapted strategy between Patescibacteriota and their phages in groundwater ecosystems. Furthermore, the groundwater Patescibacteriota phages possessed diverse auxiliary metabolic genes which might facilitate the symbiotic associations and metabolic exchange between host Patescibacteriota MAGs and other free-living microbes and expand the metabolic capabilities of host Patescibacteriota MAGs. This study elucidated the mechanisms of phage-Patescibacteriota interactions and the potential roles of phages in modulating the physiology and ecology of Patescibacteriota within groundwater ecosystems.

A secondary metabolite sensitizes competitor Bacillus subtilis to a wide panel of lytic phages by sequestering iron and preventing the activation of Spo0A.

Prophages, phage genomes integrated into bacterial chromosomes, are widespread, yet, the extent to which these resident parasites contribute to host fitness and shape evolutionary trajectories, partic...

Using RIL-seq, Silverman et al. map the RNA interactome of E. coli during phage lambda infection and uncover a conserved phage-encoded sRNA that activates host replication machinery. Their findings re...

Bacteria and archaea encode on average ten antiphage systems. Quorum sensing, cellular, or transcription factors can regulate specific systems (CRISPR-Cas, CBASS). Yet, a systematic assessment of anti...

Abstract. Bacteriophages (phages), viral predators of bacteria, generate selection pressure that causes bacteria to evolve defence systems. Type I, II and

Here, the authors present Gut Phage Biobank (GPB), containing 104 isolates that target abundant or disease-associated gut bacteria, revealing extensive viral diversity, and provide in vivo evidence fo...

Bacterial exposure to constant phage attack drives rapid diversification of anti-phage defense systems, often through the exchange of modular defensive domains. Here, we leverage this modularity signa...

Bacteriophages encode diverse pathways to modify their nucleobases. These modifications help phages to evade the host defense systems such as restriction-modification (RM), and type II and type V CRIS...