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Updated: Feb 25, 2026

Precise Phage Mutagenesis with NgTET-Assisted CRISPR-Cas Systems
Published on: October 14, 2025
Bacteriophage-induced modifications of host RNA polymerase
Sergei Nechaev1, Konstantin Severinov
1Center for Molecular Genetics, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, California 92093-0634, USA. netchaev@biomail.uscd.edu
Abstract:
Bacteriophages have developed an impressive array of ingenious mechanisms to modify bacterial host RNA polymerase to make it serve viral needs. In this review we summarize the current knowledge about two types of host RNA polymerase modifications induced by double-stranded DNA phages: covalent modifications and modifications through RNA polymerase-binding proteins. We interpret the biochemical and genetic data within the framework of a structure-function model of bacterial RNA polymerase and viral biology.
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