Viral theft of light: A cyanophage protein dismantles cyanobacterial photosynthesis to accelerate infection

Shiwei Xiao; Qinglu Zeng

doi:10.1016/j.chom.2025.12.012

Viral theft of light: A cyanophage protein dismantles cyanobacterial photosynthesis to accelerate infection

Shiwei Xiao
, Qinglu Zeng^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Ocean Science

Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate

Abstract

Auxiliary metabolic genes, acquired by cyanobacterial viruses (cyanophages) from their hosts, are thought to manipulate host metabolism during infection. A recent study by Nadel et al. performed in vivo experiments to reveal how cyanophages use a viral nblA gene to accelerate infection by degrading the photosynthetic machinery of marine cyanobacteria.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1-3
Number of pages	3
Journal	Cell Host and Microbe
Volume	34
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2025.12.012
Publication status	Published - 14 Jan 2026

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© 2025 Elsevier Inc.

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10.1016/j.chom.2025.12.012

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title = "Viral theft of light: A cyanophage protein dismantles cyanobacterial photosynthesis to accelerate infection",

abstract = "Auxiliary metabolic genes, acquired by cyanobacterial viruses (cyanophages) from their hosts, are thought to manipulate host metabolism during infection. A recent study by Nadel et al. performed in vivo experiments to reveal how cyanophages use a viral nblA gene to accelerate infection by degrading the photosynthetic machinery of marine cyanobacteria.",

author = "Shiwei Xiao and Qinglu Zeng",

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year = "2026",

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day = "14",

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T1 - Viral theft of light: A cyanophage protein dismantles cyanobacterial photosynthesis to accelerate infection

AU - Xiao, Shiwei

AU - Zeng, Qinglu

PY - 2026/1/14

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N2 - Auxiliary metabolic genes, acquired by cyanobacterial viruses (cyanophages) from their hosts, are thought to manipulate host metabolism during infection. A recent study by Nadel et al. performed in vivo experiments to reveal how cyanophages use a viral nblA gene to accelerate infection by degrading the photosynthetic machinery of marine cyanobacteria.

AB - Auxiliary metabolic genes, acquired by cyanobacterial viruses (cyanophages) from their hosts, are thought to manipulate host metabolism during infection. A recent study by Nadel et al. performed in vivo experiments to reveal how cyanophages use a viral nblA gene to accelerate infection by degrading the photosynthetic machinery of marine cyanobacteria.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105027706085

U2 - 10.1016/j.chom.2025.12.012

DO - 10.1016/j.chom.2025.12.012

M3 - Comment/debate

C2 - 41539293

AN - SCOPUS:105027706085

SN - 1931-3128

VL - 34

SP - 1

EP - 3

JO - Cell Host and Microbe

JF - Cell Host and Microbe

IS - 1

ER -

Viral theft of light: A cyanophage protein dismantles cyanobacterial photosynthesis to accelerate infection

Abstract

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