New lysis gene discovery Thousands of phage genomes have been sequenced. Using bioinformatic analysis, our lab has learned that we still don’t know the “hole” story. There are phages that are missing lysis genes. The way we search for lysis genes is limited to our understanding of known lysis proteins. Therefore, phages that are “missing”Learn More…
Single Gene Lysis Systems
The final step in a bacteriophage infection cycle, lysis and release of progeny virions from the host, requires destruction of the bacterial cell envelope, which in Gram-negative bacteria, includes the cytoplasmic membrane, the cell wall (peptidoglycan), and the outer membrane. For the simple, ubiquitous lytic single-strand RNA and DNA phages, lysis is effected by theLearn More…
Bacterial cell wall: Phages breaking free
Work by Chamakura et al. was highlighted in Nature Chemical Biology