Phage biology articles from across Nature Portfolio

Here, structural analysis by cryoFIB-SEM and cryoET of virus-induced cell remodeling shows how phage SPP1 takes over the bacterial cytoplasmic space to confine stepwise assembly of virions starting from procapsid formation at the cellular membrane.

The efficiency of horizontal gene transfer between different bacterial lineages is often unclear. Here, Figueroa et al. show that lateral transduction is the primary driver of gene exchange between Staphylococcus aureus lineages, and immune-deficient mutants enable the spread of new genetic trait

Bacteriophages are the most abundant life form on earth and can be applied to eliminate or engineer bacteria. Here, authors demonstrate RNA barcoding as a high throughput tool to measure bacteriophage host range in natural microbial communities and inform bacteriophage ecology and applications.

Phage-bacteria interactions are typically studied in bulk culture, which obscures cell-cell differences. Here the authors study phage-bacteria interactions using single-cell transcriptomics, identifying cell subpopulations that resist infection through variable expression of multiple genes, without acquiring mutations.

Here, the authors report a bacterial anti-phage defense system that targets the phage DNA entry phase. This system is termed HXS and consists of four proteins that function together to inhibit phage DNA entry providing broad-spectrum activity.

RNA-targeting CRISPR in Listeria seeligeri restricts the lytic cycle of temperate phages but tolerates prophage acquisition while also preventing induction—a system that enables acquisition of beneficial prophages while mitigating the risks of lysis.

This study shows that microgravity modulates phage–host co-evolution and alters their mutational landscapes, facilitating adaptation to such a distinct environmental niche.

If only temperate bacteriophages should be able to lie dormant in bacterial cells, why have two independent groups found thousands of virulent phages hiding in bacterial sequencing data?

This Genome Watch explores how a new antisense oligomer-based approach enables functional genomics of genetically intractable bacteriophages, revealing essential genes and infection mechanisms without requiring genetic modification.

This study reports the identification of two prophage-encoded systems involved in anti-phage defence through Abi.

Phollow is an in vivo tagging approach for marking bacteriophages with fluorescent proteins while new virions are assembled in bacteria, enabling direct observation of phage outbreaks with single-virion resolution. Using Phollow to track phages in situ in model gut microbial communities uncovers spatiotemporal features of transmission dynamics that shape microbiomes.