An international team of scientists from Denmark and New Zealand has discovered a new genetic mechanism that allows viruses to penetrate the immune system of bacteria. To work published In the scientific journal Nature.
Bacteria have developed immunity to viruses through a mechanism called CRISPR-Cas. It works by taking pieces of bacteriophage DNA and inserting them into the microbe’s genome. Thus, bacteria compile a “card index” of their enemies and attack pathogens as they appear.
“If a virus enters, some of its DNA is added to the memory bank and converted from DNA to RNA in the process. Each RNA acts as a guide so that the CRISPR-Cas system can accurately identify and destroy the invading bacteriophage,” explained New Zealand University of Otago microbiologist Dr. David Mayo-Muñoz.
But viruses have learned to deceive bacteria’s CRISPR-Cas by adding pieces of this system to their genomes. They use these as molecular mimics that can completely or partially disable the defense.
According to scientists, this discovery will help make gene editing safer and lead to the creation of effective alternatives to antibiotics.
Previous researchers in the name Two groups of the most useful viruses.