BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Bacterial control of their viral parasites through altruistic suic
 ide - Prof George Salmond\, Biochemistry\, Wolfson College
DTSTART:20170217T174500Z
DTEND:20170217T191000Z
UID:TALK70608@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr Antonio M. M. Rodrigues
DESCRIPTION:Bacteria are susceptible to infection by their viral predators
  (bacteriophages\; phages) - the most abundant biological entities on Eart
 h. Bacteria have evolved diverse strategies for evading the lethal impacts
  of phage infection and\, correspondingly\, phages evolve to circumvent ba
 cterial defensive systems - an eternal co-evolutionary “molecular arms r
 ace”. Abortive infection (Abi) systems in bacteria are post-infection de
 fence mechanisms that terminate viral morphogenesis through a “suicide
 ” of infected cells. In this way\, phage replication is blocked precocio
 usly and sibling bacteria are not infected. Certain Abi systems have Type 
 III toxin-antitoxin (TA) functionality where an endoribonuclease (toxin) i
 s suppressed by small RNA species (antitoxin). After infection by phages t
 he bifunctional Abi/TA system may release the toxin\, killing the infected
  cell. Phages can evolve mutants that “escape” the Type III TA system 
 by various routes\, to enable a productive viral lytic cycle.
LOCATION:Wolfson College\, Gatsby Room
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR