Recent Advances in Structural Studies of Single-Stranded RNA Bacteriophages

Positive-sense single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) bacteriophages (phages) were first isolated six decades ago. Since then, extensive research has been conducted on these ssRNA phages, particularly those infecting E. coli. With small genomes of typically 3–4 kb that usually encode four essential proteins, phages employ a straightforward infectious cycle involving host adsorption, genome entry, replication, phage assembly, and lysis. Recent advancements in metagenomics transcriptomics have led to the identification ~65,000 sequences from expanding our understanding their prevalence potential hosts. This review article illuminates significant investigations into with focal point structural aspects, providing insights various stages cycle.