ArticleNature microbiology2023
Alternative Z-genome biosynthesis pathway shows evolutionary progression from Archaea to phage.
Article in Nature microbiology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Z-Calling: a tool for A/Z (2,6-diaminopurine) base calling and dZ-DNA detection using PacBio HiFi reads.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Functional convergence in Z-DNA biosynthesis highlighted by the characterization of nucleotide metabolism enzymes in bacteriophages.Nucleic acids research · 2026Article
- Carboxymethylcytosine is a natural base modification and a handle for bacteriophage DNA hypermodification.Nature communications · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Many bacteriophages evade bacterial immune recognition by substituting adenine with 2,6-diaminopurine (Z) in their genomes. The Z-genome biosynthetic pathway involves PurZ that belongs to the PurA (adenylosuccinate synthetase) family and bears particular similarity to archaeal PurA. However, how the transition of PurA to PurZ occurred during evolution is not clear; recapturing this process may shed light on the origin of Z-containing phages. Here we describe the computer-guided identification and biochemical characterization of a naturally existing PurZ variant, PurZ0, which uses guanosine triphosphate as the phosphate donor rather than the ATP used by PurZ. The atomic resolution structure of PurZ0 reveals a guanine nucleotide binding pocket highly analogous to that of archaeal PurA. Phylogenetic analyses suggest PurZ0 as an intermediate during the evolution of archaeal PurA to phage PurZ. Maintaining the balance of different purines necessitates further evolvement of guanosine triphosphate-using PurZ0 to ATP-using PurZ in adaptation to Z-genome life.
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