The role of protein Ser/Thr/Tyr kinases in bacteriophage infection

Review article, 2026

In the evolutionary arms race between bacteria and bacteriophages, both parties have evolved diverse defense systems and counter-defense strategies. Protein phosphorylation is a ubiquitous regulatory mechanism that enables rapid cellular responses to internal and external stimuli. Accordingly, protein phosphorylation-based responses have been established in both the bacterial host and the infecting phages. This review provides an overview of protein Ser/Thr/Tyr kinases involved in bacterial defense and phage counter-defenses, with a particular focus on insights gained from mass spectrometry-based phosphoproteomic analyses of phage infections.