The immune system of bacteria: New mechanisms

The arms race between bacteria and phages led to the development of sophisticated anti-phage defense systems. Many of these defense systems have only recently been discovered, based on large scale genomic analyses. Our studies surprisingly reveal that multiple bacterial defense systems are ancient versions of central components of the cell-autonomous innate immune system in animals and plants. The talk will present progress in understanding the mechanisms of action of new bacterial immune systems, and will highlight cases in which bacterial defense from phage gave rise to key components in the eukaryotic innate immune system.