Decoding phage communication: molecular networks, evolutionary dynamics, and therapeutic applications
Communication between bacteriophages, particularly in biofilms, has long been studied. The recent discovery of the arbitrium lysis-lysogeny switch in Bacillus phages, similar to bacterial quorum sensing, has renewed interest in phage communication. This review examines the arbitrium system alongside other switching mechanisms, explores its role in pathogen-phage-host immune interactions, and proposes design principles for "smart" phage therapies.
Authors
- Ameneh Khatami (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9114-6694)
- Morvarid Shafiei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6166-5028)
- Mohammad Sholeh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1748-7225)
- Sahar Abed
- Sara Sadeghi
- Peter Speck
Institutions
- Idaho State University (US)
- University of Science and Culture (IR)
- The University of Sydney (AU)
- Pasteur Institute of Iran (IR)
- Flinders University (AU)
- Children's Hospital at Westmead (AU)
- Cooperative Trials Group for Neuro-Oncology (AU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- npj Biofilms and Microbiomes
- Published
- 2026-06-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-026-01050-3
- Primary Topic
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00