Published in Science · View the paper (DOI)
Researchers discovered that infected bacteria produce a new gene, dubbed 'Neo', which rapidly arrests cell growth and induces programmed dormancy. This mechanism protects the larger bacterial population from phage infection, highlighting the potential for other 'hidden' genes to be unearthed in different biological contexts.
Coverage from 2 institutions
- Surprise: infected bacteria fight back with “hidden” genes that halt cell growth, slow viral spread American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) · Aug 8, 2024 · first to report
- Bacteria encode hidden genes outside their genome—do we? Columbia University Irving Medical Center · Aug 8, 2024