Researchers from Tel Aviv University discovered a process in which a "good" virus manages to selectively destroy the DNA of the "bad" bacteria, thus stopping the reproduction of the bacteria. The discovery may help in the development of treatments against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which cause infectious diseases
The war against antibiotic-resistant bacteria: a new study by Tel Aviv University has revealed for the first time a mechanism by which "good" viruses succeed in attacking the systems of "bad" bacteria, eliminating them and stopping their culture. The researchers showed that the "good" virus (bacteriophage). Succeeds in damaging the bacterial DNA replication mechanism without damaging its own replication mechanism. The distinction between self and stranger is extremely significant in nature. According to the researchers, the discovery reveals another fascinating layer in the interrelationship between viruses and bacteria and may be used both for understanding the mechanisms of evading viruses and for the use of viruses against bacteria.
The challenge of bacterial resistance to antibiotics
The study was recently published in the prestigious journal of the US National Academy of Sciences - PNAS, was conducted under the leadership of Prof. Udi Kimron, Dr. Dor Salomon, Dr. Tridiv Mahatta and Shahar Molshansky-Moore from the Sackler Faculty of Medicine. Also, Prof. Tal Popko, head of the Shemunis School of Biomedical Research and Cancer Research and the new Center for Information Sciences and Dr. Oren Abram of the George Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Dr. Ido Yosef, participated in the study. Dr. Moran Goren, Dr. Miri Menor-Cohen and Dr. Bisvanat Jana, from the Sackler Faculty of Medicine.
Prof. Kimron explains that resistance of bacteria to antibiotics is one of the challenging problems faced by scientists nowadays. One of the solutions to the problem lies in deepening the knowledge about the targeted suppression of the bacteria by the "good viruses", according to him, identifying the mechanisms of their control over bacteria may produce new tools to treat disease-causing bacteria.
As part of the study, the researchers revealed, as mentioned for the first time, the mechanism of the bacteriophage taking over the bacteria. According to the researchers, a protein of the virus utilizes a protein to repair the bacterium's DNA, and thus "slyly" cuts the bacterium's DNA during its repair. Since the DNA of the bacteriophage did not need this repair protein, it itself is protected from cutting.
By this means, the "good" bacteriophage succeeds in distinguishing between its own DNA and that of the bacterium, as well as destroying the bacterium's hereditary material, and also stopping its growth and division.
Prof. Kimron adds: "The bacteriophage takes advantage of the fact that the bacterial DNA needs a certain repair while it itself does not need such a repair. In doing so, he eliminates the bacteria without harming himself. The distinction between self and stranger is extremely important in nature, and in various biological applications. For example, all antibiotic mechanisms detect and neutralize bacteria only, with minimal damage to human cells. In the same way, our immune system is aimed at maximum damage to external factors, while minimal self-harm."
The researchers discovered the process by searching and locating types of bacteria that are not affected by this viral mechanism of action, meaning that the bacteria they attack has developed "immunity" or "resistance" against the viral mechanism. "We discovered that these bacterial variants simply stopped repairing their DNA in the damage-sensitive manner, thus escaping the destruction mechanism. The findings shed further light on the ways in which bacterial viruses attack bacteria, and may serve as another tool in the endless war against antibiotic-resistant bacteria" - Prof. Kimron summarizes.
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