The arms race between bacteria and their phage foes

• Published in: Nature (London) 2020-01, Vol.577 (7790), p.327-336
• Main Authors: Hampton, Hannah G., Watson, Bridget N. J., Fineran, Peter C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 631/326/41; Adsorption; Animals; Bacteria; Bacteria - growth & development; Bacteria - immunology; Bacteria - virology; Bacteriophages; Bacteriophages - immunology; Bacteriophages - metabolism; Biotechnology; CRISPR; CRISPR-Cas Systems - physiology; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; Ecology; Evolution; Forecasts and trends; Genes; Host Microbial Interactions - immunology; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Identification and classification; Infections; Microorganisms; multidisciplinary; Mutation; Natural history; Phage therapy; Phages; Proteins; Review; review-article; Science; Science (multidisciplinary)
• ISSN: 0028-0836; 1476-4687
• DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1894-8

Bacteria are under immense evolutionary pressure from their viral invaders—bacteriophages. Bacteria have evolved numerous immune mechanisms, both innate and adaptive, to cope with this pressure. The discovery and exploitation of CRISPR–Cas systems have stimulated a resurgence in the identification and characterization of anti-phage mechanisms. Bacteriophages use an extensive battery of counter-defence strategies to co-exist in the presence of these diverse phage defence mechanisms. Understanding the dynamics of the interactions between these microorganisms has implications for phage-based therapies, microbial ecology and evolution, and the development of new biotechnological tools. Here we review the spectrum of anti-phage systems and highlight their evasion by bacteriophages. Understanding the dynamics between bacteria and bacteriophages could enable the development of phage-based therapies and biotechnological tools and provide insights into the ecology and evolution of these microorganisms.