The intricate organizational strategy of nucleus-forming phages

Abstract

Nucleus-forming phages (chimalliviruses) encode numerous genes responsible for creating intricate structures for viral replication. Research on this newly appreciated family of phages has begun to reveal the mechanisms underlying the subcellular organization of the nucleus-based phage replication cycle. These discoveries include the structure of the phage nuclear shell, the identification of a membrane-bound early phage infection intermediate, the dynamic localization of phage RNA polymerases, the phylogeny and core genome of chimalliviruses, and the variation in replication mechanisms across diverse nucleus-forming phages. This research is being propelled forward through the application of fluorescence microscopy and cryo-electron microscopy and the innovative use of new tools such as proximity labeling and RNA-targeting Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats-Cas systems.