Phage tRNAs
The existence of tRNAs in phage genomes has intrigued scientists since their discovery in the early 1960s.
Over the years, phage tRNAs were found to serve a multitude of functions, including compensating for their integration in the host tRNA, broadening the host range, and timing their lytic cycle.
Recent breakthroughs have also shown that phage tRNAs counteract the tRNA depleting host response upon detecting a phage infection.
These phage tRNAs are cleavage resistant and have potential to improve phage-therapeutic approaches by rendering these defense responses ineffective.
https://www.cell.com/trends/microbiology/fulltext/S0966-842X(25)00156-8
