Niklas Klusch

This study identifies Rhc as a multifunctional protein essential for DNA replication and transcription in nucleus-forming phages, revealing its role in resolving R-loops and coordinating gene expression.

The paper shows that Chimalliviridae form a lipid membrane-bound EPI vesicle during early infection, which hosts transcription of the phage genome, and demonstrates the necessity of a second compartment, the phage nucleus, for genome replication.