Overview of Phage Defense Systems in Bacteria and Their Applications

Overview

Journal Int J Mol Sci

Publisher MDPI

Specialties Biochemistry
Chemistry
Molecular Biology

Date 2025 Jan 8

PMID 39769080

Authors

Xiaomei Xu

Pengfei Gu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

As natural parasites of bacteria, phages have greatly contributed to bacterial evolution owing to their persistent threat. Diverse phage resistance systems have been developed in bacteria during the coevolutionary process with phages. Conversely, phage contamination has a devastating effect on microbial fermentation, resulting in fermentation failure and substantial economic loss. Accordingly, natural defense systems derived from bacteria can be employed to obtain robust phage-resistant host cells that can overcome the threats posed by bacteriophages during industrial bacterial processes. In this review, diverse phage resistance mechanisms, including the remarkable research progress and potential applications, are systematically summarized. In addition, the development prospects and challenges of phage-resistant bacteria are discussed. This review provides a useful reference for developing phage-resistant bacteria.

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