The human body is host to large numbers of bacteriophages (phages)–a diverse group of
bacterial viruses that infect bacteria. Phage were previously regarded as bystanders that …

In all domains of life, genomes contain epigenetic information superimposed over the
nucleotide sequence. Epigenetic signals control DNA–protein interactions and can cause …

The gut microbiome is widely accepted to have a significant impact on human health yet,
despite years of research on this complex ecosystem, the contributions of different forces …

Prokaryotic DNA contains three types of methylation: N6-methyladenine, N4-methylcytosine
and 5-methylcytosine. The lack of tools to analyse the frequency and distribution of …

Molecular genetic research on bacteriophage lambda carried out during its golden age from
the mid-1950s to mid-1980s was critically important in the attainment of our current …

Highlights•Bacterial genomes contain C 5-methyl-cytosine, N 4-methyl-cytosine, and N 6-
methyl-adenine.•Base methylation controls DNA–protein interactions.•DNA methylation …

Metagenomic approaches applied to viruses have highlighted their prevalence in almost all
microbial ecosystems investigated. In all ecosystems, notably those associated with humans …

Bacteria-infecting viruses (phages) and their hosts maintain an ancient and complex
relationship. Bacterial predation by lytic phages drives an ongoing phage-host arms race …

Bacterial pathogens and commensals are surrounded by diverse surface polysaccharides
which include capsules and lipopolysaccharides. These carbohydrates play a vital role in …

Alcohol use is a leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide, and changes in the
microbiome associated with alcohol use contribute to patients' risk for liver disease …