AI Summary
The article discusses the mechanisms by which bacteria use a ubiquitin-like protein system as an antiphage defense during phage infection. Specifically, the system conjugates the ubiquitin-like protein to the phage central tail fibre, interfering with phage assembly. This study sheds light on a novel defense mechanism in bacteria and provides insights into how bacteria combat viral infections.
Several immune pathways in humans conjugate ubiquitin-like proteins to virus and host molecules as a means of antiviral defence1,2,3,4,5. Here we studied an antiphage defence system in bacteria, comprising a ubiquitin-like protein, ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes E1 and E2, and a deubiquitinase. We show that during phage infection, this system specifically conjugates the ubiquitin-like protein to the phage central tail fibre, a protein at the tip of the tail that is essential for tail assembly as well as for recognition