The Sorek Lab

Microbial Immunology

Research

Our lab of microbial genomics and systems biology studies the immune system of bacteria

We are interested in deciphering the molecular mechanisms providing bacteria with protection against viruses that infect them (phages). We developed computational and experimental platforms to discover new bacterial immune systems in large scales. Our studies demonstrated that many important components of the human innate immune system evolved from bacterial immune systems, explaining the early evolution of the human innate immune system. 

We also discovered that viruses can use small-molecule communication in order to coordinate their infection dynamics - our lab studies the molecular mechanisms allowing virus-virus communication.

Our research combines computational genomics, AI-based computational structural biology, metagenomics, metabolomics, biochemistry, and modern experimental approaches in microbiology and virology.

Research page

Selected Publications

Phages overcome bacterial immunity via diverse anti-defence proteins

Yirmiya E., Leavitt A., Lu A., Ragucci A. E., Avraham C., Osterman I., Garb J., Antine S. P., Mooney S. E., Hobbs S. J., Kranzusch P. J., Amitai G. & Sorek R. Nature, 625:352-359 (2024).

Discovery of phage determinants that confer sensitivity to bacterial immune systems

Stokar-Avihail A., Fedorenko T., Hör J., Garb J., Leavitt A., Millman A., Shulman G., Wojtania N., Melamed S., Amitai G. & Sorek R. Cell, 186:1863-1876  (2023).

Viruses inhibit TIR gcADPR signalling to overcome bacterial defence

Leavitt A., Yirmiya E., Amitai G., Lu A., Garb J., Herbst E., Morehouse B. R., Hobbs S. J., Antine S. P., Sun Z. J., Kranzusch P. J. & Sorek R. (2022) Nature (London). 611, 7935, p. 326-331

Prokaryotic viperins produce diverse antiviral molecules

Bernheim A., Millman Dayan A. J., Ofir G., Meitav G., Avraham C., Shomar H., Rosenberg M. M., Tal N., Melamed S., Amitai G. & Sorek R. (2021) Nature. 589, 7840, p. 120-124

Bacterial Retrons Function In Anti-Phage Defense

Millman A., Bernheim A., Stokar-Avihail A., Fedorenko T., Voichek M., Leavitt A., Oppenheimer-Shaanan Y. & Sorek R. (2020) Cell. 183, 6, p. 1551-1561

Cyclic GMP-AMP signalling protects bacteria against viral infection

Cohen D., Melamed S., Millman A., Shulman G., Oppenheimer-Shaanan Y., Kacen A., Doron S., Amitai G. & Sorek R. (2019) Nature. 574, 7780, p. 691-695

Systematic discovery of antiphage defense systems in the microbial pangenome

Doron S., Melamed S., Ofir G., Leavitt A., Lopatina A., Keren M., Amitai G. & Sorek R. (2018) Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science). 359, 6379, eaar4120.

Communication between viruses guides lysis-lysogeny decisions

Erez Z., Steinberger-Levy I., Shamir M., Doron S., Stokar Avihail A. A., Peleg Y., Melamed S., Leavitt A., Savidor A., Albeck S., Amitai G. & Sorek R. (2017) Nature. 541, 7638, p. 488-493
All Publications