Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41249581›Full record

ArticleEMBO reports2025

A previously undescribed archaeal virus suppresses host immunity.

Israela Turgeman-Grott, Noam Golan, Uri Neri, Doron Naki, Neta Altman-Price, Kim Eizenshtein, Deepak K Choudhary, Rachel Levy, Sharon Navok, Lee Cohen and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in EMBO reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Israela Turgeman-GrottThe Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. isratur@openu.ac.il.
Noam GolanThe Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Uri NeriThe Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Doron NakiThe Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Neta Altman-PriceThe Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Kim EizenshteinThe Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Deepak K ChoudharyThe Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Rachel LevyThe Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.ORCID 0009-0000-5105-9625
Sharon NavokThe Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Lee CohenThe Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Yarden ShalevThe Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Himani SinglaThe Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.ORCID 0009-0004-7848-3425
Leah ReshefThe Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Uri GophnaThe Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. urigo@tauex.tau.ac.il.ORCID 0000-0001-5129-5652

Funding

EC | European Research Council (ERC) 787514Israel Science Foundation (ISF) 1599/24
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Extremophilic archaea can have chronic viral infections that are well-tolerated by the hosts and may potentially protect against more lethal infections. Here we show that a natural Haloferax strain (48N), is chronically infected by a lemon-shaped virus. This viral infection is not cleared spontaneously, despite the multiple defense systems of the host. Curing 48N of its virus led to radical changes in the gene expression profile of 48N and a dramatic improvement in its growth rate. Remarkably, the cured 48N is the fastest-growing haloarchaeon reported to date, with a generation time of ~107 min at 45 °C, and faster than any known Haloferax species at this temperature. The virus subverts host defenses by reducing its transcription, including the CRISPR spacer acquisition machinery. Nonetheless, even in the virus-cured background, spacer acquisition is very low, indicating that another genetic element is disrupting CRISPR activity. Our results suggest that the slow growth of some halophilic archaea could be due to the effects of proviruses within their genomes that consume resources and alter the gene expression of their hosts.

Indexed as

Archaeal VirusesHaloferaxHost-Pathogen InteractionsClustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic RepeatsGene Expression Regulation, ArchaealChronic InfectionCRISPR-CasHaloarchaeaPhageSpindle-Shaped Virus

Identifiers

PMID41249581
PMCPMC12714723

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.