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Bacterial reverse transcriptase synthesizes long poly(A)-rich cDNA for antiphage defense.

Xin-Yi Song1, Yushan Xia1, Jun-Tao Zhang1

  • 1Department of Biochemistry, SUSTech Homeostatic Medicine Institute, School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|May 1, 2025
PubMed
Summary

Prokaryotic defense-associated reverse transcriptases (DRTs) activate antiphage defense by forming complexes that arrest cell growth. DRT9 synthesizes cDNA to disrupt phage propagation, revealing novel antiviral mechanisms.

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