Targeting bacteria: Auxiliary metabolic genes expand understanding of phages and their reprogramming strategy

Viruses that infect bacteria—known as bacteriophages—could be used in a targeted manner to combat bacterial diseases. They also play an important ecological role in global biogeochemical cycles. Recent research by researchers at the University of Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU) has identified a previously unknown auxiliary metabolic gene in aquatic phages, thereby significantly expanding the previous understanding of these bacterial predators.