ArticleNucleic acids research2024
A phage-encoded RNA-binding protein inhibits the antiviral activity of a toxin-antitoxin system.
Article in Nucleic acids research, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 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
5 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- V- and VNature communications · 2026Article
- Post-transcriptional control during T4 infection.EcoSal Plus · 2025Review
- Isolation and characterization of bacteriophages from clinical enterohemorrhagicMicrobiology spectrum · 2025Article
- Bioinformatic exploration reveals features of tenpIN family of type III toxin-antitoxin systems in bacteria and viruses.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Factors Affecting Phage-Bacteria Coevolution Dynamics.Viruses · 2025Review
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Bacteria harbor diverse mechanisms to defend themselves against their viral predators, bacteriophages. In response, phages can evolve counter-defense systems, most of which are poorly understood. In T4-like phages, the gene tifA prevents bacterial defense by the type III toxin-antitoxin (TA) system toxIN, but the mechanism by which TifA inhibits ToxIN remains unclear. Here, we show that TifA directly binds both the endoribonuclease ToxN and RNA, leading to the formation of a high molecular weight ribonucleoprotein complex in which ToxN is inhibited. The RNA binding activity of TifA is necessary for its interaction with and inhibition of ToxN. Thus, we propose that TifA inhibits ToxN during phage infection by trapping ToxN on cellular RNA, particularly the abundant 16S rRNA, thereby preventing cleavage of phage transcripts. Taken together, our results reveal a novel mechanism underlying inhibition of a phage-defensive RNase toxin by a small, phage-encoded protein.
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Registered trials
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