Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41922540›Full record

ArticleNature chemical biology2026

Dual cytosine modification through hydroxylation and arabinofuranosylation in phages.

Yu He, Haiyan Gao, Yudong Yang, Dongang Yang, Lixu Jiang, Junwu Bi, Fuliang Yin, Yaru Tang, Zhe Zhao, Shi Chen and 1 more

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Nature chemical biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing 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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

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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

11 authors.

Yu HeDepartment of Respiratory Diseases, Institute of Pediatrics, Shenzhen Children's Hospital, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, China.
Haiyan GaoDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Microbiology in Genomic Modification and Editing and Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, National-Regional Key Technology Engineering Laboratory for Medical Ultrasound, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.
Yudong YangDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Microbiology in Genomic Modification and Editing and Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, National-Regional Key Technology Engineering Laboratory for Medical Ultrasound, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.
Dongang YangDepartment of Gastroenterology, Hubei Clinical Center and Key Laboratory of Intestinal and Colorectal Disease, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
Lixu JiangDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Microbiology in Genomic Modification and Editing and Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, National-Regional Key Technology Engineering Laboratory for Medical Ultrasound, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6800-7063
Junwu BiDepartment of Gastroenterology, Hubei Clinical Center and Key Laboratory of Intestinal and Colorectal Disease, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
Fuliang YinDepartment of Gastroenterology, Hubei Clinical Center and Key Laboratory of Intestinal and Colorectal Disease, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
Yaru TangDepartment of Gastroenterology, Hubei Clinical Center and Key Laboratory of Intestinal and Colorectal Disease, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
Zhe ZhaoDepartment of Gastroenterology, Hubei Clinical Center and Key Laboratory of Intestinal and Colorectal Disease, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
Shi ChenDepartment of Gastroenterology, Hubei Clinical Center and Key Laboratory of Intestinal and Colorectal Disease, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China. shichen@email.szu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8965-1015
Lianrong WangDepartment of Respiratory Diseases, Institute of Pediatrics, Shenzhen Children's Hospital, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, China. lianrong2008@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1669-6340

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Bacteriophages use diverse genomic modifications, including substitutions on the cytosine pyrimidine ring through C-C and C-N bonds. Here, we report that coliphage HY126 encodes an Afh system with enzymatic activities not previously implicated in DNA modification. This multienzyme cascade comprises the following: AfhB, a reduced flavin-dependent hydroxylase that catalyzes deoxycytidine monophosphate (dCMP) hydroxylation through C-O bond formation to yield 5-hydroxy-dCMP; AfhE and AfhF, which synthesize the sugar donor uridine diphospho-ᴅ-arabinose for AfhC; AfhC, a phage-encoded nucleotide arabinosyltransferase that arabinofuranosylates 5-hydroxy-dCMP, priming it for DNA incorporation; AfhG, a DNA arabinosyltransferase that adds a second arabinofuranose moiety through a β-1,3 linkage to 5-hydroxyarabinofuranosylated cytosine embedded in DNA, forming diarabinofuranosyl-5-hydroxycytosine. This work unveils a unique two-step arabinofuranosylation mechanism-involving distinct nucleotide priming followed by DNA modification-thereby elucidating an enzymatic strategy in the phage-host evolutionary arms race.

Indexed as

ArabinoseColiphagesCytosineHydroxylationMixed Function OxygenasesarabinofuranoseArabinoseCytosineMixed Function Oxygenases

Identifiers

PMID41922540

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.