Pervasive phosphorylation by phage T7 kinase disarms bacterial defences

TL;DR - A Nature study reports that bacteriophage T7 uses its kinase, T7K, to phosphorylate nearly all bacterial-host and phage proteins during infection. This pervasive modification disables bacterial defence systems, revealing a broad phage strategy for overcoming host immunity.

• T7K drives extensive phosphorylation across both host and viral proteomes.
• The phosphorylation occurs during T7 infection and deactivates bacterial defence mechanisms.
• The findings identify proteome-wide kinase activity as a mechanism of phage immune evasion.