Molecular investigation reveals that viral kinase T7K broadly phosphorylates host DNA-binding proteins in bacteria, indicating a mechanism to neutralize nucleic acid-targeting immune defences.
Viruses that infect bacteria must either evade or counter the defence systems of their host. The viral kinase enzyme T7K has been found to phosphorylate nearly all bacterial proteins, but its specificity for DNA-binding proteins enables it to disable defence systems that target nucleic acids. A viral enzyme modifies all the proteins of its bacterial host that target DNA to inactivate the host’s immunity.
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