Bacteria Make Antivirals
Viperin is a conserved antiviral protein that catalyzes the synthesis of chain terminator molecules in both vertebrates and prokaryotes.
viperin
A cell protein that synthesizes an antiviral ribonucleotide
Some antiviral drugs, like acyclovir for treatment of herpes simplex virus infections, are chain terminators that block RNA or DNA synthesis. They are modified nucleotides that can be incorporated into a growing RNA strand, but no additional nucleotides can be added. Amazingly, a cell protein has been found that can synthesize antiviral chain terminators.