A molecule used by viruses to infect bacteria may become the foundation for a new class of therapeutics. These could step in where traditional antibiotics fail due to growing bacterial resistance. The findings appear in Nature.
Phage viruses that target bacteria have long been explored as a treatment option. In a new study, researchers uncovered a fresh mechanism by which these viruses can undermine bacterial defenses.
The CRISPR-Cas system helps shield bacteria from viral invaders. A protein containing a helical region, known as an HTH motif, can influence bacterial genes by binding to DNA. Recent work shows that this motif can also interact with RNA. In this role, the molecule serves as a bridge between DNA, which carries the instructions for making proteins, and the cellular machinery that translates those instructions into proteins.
“This discovery excites the scientific community because it hints at a previously unrecognized regulatory mechanism within a well-studied protein family. HTH motifs have been examined for decades since their discovery in the early 1980s, so the team initially expected the protein to behave like others with similar motifs. The actual behavior surprised them, signaling a potential shift in how researchers understand the function and mechanism of this important protein domain and its role in gene regulation,” the researchers noted.
Earlier efforts explored ways to shield the brain from stroke damage and safeguard neural tissue from injury.