Bacteria use ancient war skills to fight virus invaders

Imagine tricking the enemy into giving you weapons and then defeating them with those same weapons. This is exactly what some bacteria fight viral infections, according to groundbreaking research from the University of Copenhagen and Wazhon Agricultural University.

The newly discovered bacterial defense system, known as “Kangming”, is known for its similar strategies, reveals a clever survival strategy: When the virus attacks the bacteria, Kongming hijacks the virus’s own replication mechanism to trigger a self-destructive mechanism that prevents the spread of infection.

“We have discovered a new antiviral signaling pathway in bacteria, which ironically relies on viral enzymes to generate alarm signals, i.e., alarm signals that trigger defenses, just like the historic Kongming, who used enemy arrows to produce them,” Assistant Professor Rafael Pinilla-pinilla-Reilla-Reilla-pinilla-dellydondo copenhagen coenhagen co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded co-ded

In addition to its evolutionary significance, this discovery can also have important medical applications. As antibiotic resistance continues to grow with global health threats, researchers are increasingly looking to use viruses targeting specific bacteria as alternative therapies for bacterial infections.

The scientific study shows how E. coli bacteria transform viral enzymes called nucleotide kinases, which are commonly used to replicate their genetic material, and these tools produce a tool for warning signaling molecules called Triphophate (DITP). The signal activates a cascade that forces the infected bacteria to sacrifice themselves, thus preventing the virus from spreading to adjacent bacteria.

“The bacteria sacrifice themselves to stop the virus, which may sound dramatic, but it’s a very effective strategy. By dying, it reduces the virus, thus preventing the infection from spreading to other bacteria in the crowd. It’s a bit like blowing up a bridge to stop advancing enemies.”

In the ongoing evolutionary weapons competition, some viruses have developed countermeasures. The co-first author of the study noted: “Some viruses have figured out how to bypass Kumming. They carry special enzymes that break the molecules needed to trigger the system. This is to cut off the cable before the alarm is shut down.”

In addition to its evolutionary significance, this discovery can also have important medical applications. As antibiotic resistance continues to grow with global health threats, researchers are increasingly looking to use viruses targeting specific bacteria as alternative therapies for bacterial infections.

Understanding bacterial defense systems such as Kongming can help scientists develop more effective phage therapies by revealing how bacteria resist viral attacks and how certain viruses overcome these defense capabilities. In addition, the molecular machinery driving Kongming may stimulate new tools in synthetic biology and diagnostics, and may even be used to detect molecules associated with human diseases such as cancer.

This extraordinary bacterial strategy not only expands our understanding of the microbial immune system, but also reminds people that nature’s most complex defense mechanisms have evolved in its smallest organisms.

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