This blog was written by guest author Michael Curtin, Senior Product Manager, Small Molecule Drug Discovery. ATP is the universal energy currency of cells, and thousands of proteins outside the kinase family “spend” it to move cargo, remodel nucleic acids, pump ions, or fold proteins. These ATP-hydrolyzing enzymes—collectively known as ATPases—span functional classes including motor […]

RNA helicases are conserved enzymes found in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. They function in all aspects of RNA metabolism and are known to influence various cellular and metabolic processes. In add...

RNA helicases are conserved enzymes found in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. They function in all aspects of RNA metabolism and are known to influence various cellular and metabolic processes. In add...

In the relentless battle against glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive and treatment-resistant brain tumors, researchers have uncovered critical insights into the molecular machinery that determines how glioma cells respond to chemotherapy. A recent study published in BMC Cancer reveals the nuanced and distinct roles of two RecQ helicases, RECQL4 and BLM, whose functions influence glioma cell fate following chemotherapeutic stress.

Bacteria and archaea possess an enormous variety of antivirus immune systems that often share homologous proteins and domains, some of which contribute to diverse defense strategies. YprA family helicases are central to widespread defense systems DISARM, Dpd, and Druantia. Here, through comprehensive phylogenetic and structural prediction analysis of the YprA family, we identify several major, previously unrecognized clades, with unique signatures of domain architecture and associations with other genes. Each YprA family clade defines a distinct class of defense systems, which we denote ARMADA (disARM-related Antiviral Defense Array), BRIGADE (Base hypermodification and Restriction Involving Genes encoding ARMADA-like and Dpd-like Effectors), or TALON (TOTE-like and ARMADA-Like Operon with Nuclease). In addition to the YprA-like helicase, ARMADA systems share two more proteins with DISARM. However, ARMADA YprA homologs are most similar to those of Druantia, suggesting ARMADA is a missing link connecting DISARM and Druantia. We show experimentally that ARMADA protects bacteria against a broad range of phages via a direct, non-abortive mechanism. We also discovered multiple families of satellite phage-like mobile genetic elements that often carry both ARMADA and Druantia Type III systems and show that these can provide synergistic resistance against diverse phages. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. National Institutes of Health, https://ror.org/01cwqze88

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Aging | doi:10.18632/aging.206291. Tsz-Ching Yiu, Jiajie Tu, Hoi-Hung Cheung