March 2024: Eldar: Viruses use a decision-making process by adopting defense systems built against them
Prof. Avigdor Eldar (Edmond J. Safra affiliate) and his student have deciphered a novel, complex decision-making process that helps viruses choose whether to become harmful or stay friendly to their bacterial host.
In a new study, published in Nature Microbiology led by Prof. Avigdor Eldar, Edmond J. Safra affiliate (Life Sciences), the researchers described how viruses use a decision-making process to adopt a bacterial immune system meant to combat viruses like themselves.
Bacteriophages, also nicknamed phages, are types of viruses that infect bacteria and use them to replicate and spread. The research revealed a new level of sophistication in the arms race between bacteria and viruses, discovering that the phage actually utilizes a system that the bacteria developed to kill phages.
If the phage doesn’t pick up a signal from any other phages — indicating that it has a good chance of finding new hosts — it switches to violent mode. It replicates and kills its host. If, on the other hand, it senses high concentrations of signals — indicating a lower chance of success — it remains dormant. Strangely, dormancy requires an active antiphage activity of the host. If the bacteria do not resist, the phage would avoid dormancy despite the high signal concentration.
Read more here.
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