Bacteriophages (or shortly phages) - viruses that infect bacterial cells - are the most abundant biological entities (number of phage visions is estimated to 10³¹). Their biological importance is huge, as they regulate populations of bacteria, and thus affect all known ecosystems. On the other hand, our knowledge about these obligatory parasites of bacteria is still scarce. Nevertheless, bacteriophages and their genetic elements can be employed in genetic engineering, biotechnology, and medicine. There are both dangers and benefits for humans related to bacteriophages. For example, phages can destroy the biotechnological production of various compounds and they can bear genes responsible for production of different toxins which are crucial for pathogenicity of various bacteria. In contrast, bacteriophages can be widely applied in constructing useful bacterial strains in biotechnology, they can be used for developing novel drugs and diagnostic tools (e.g., phage display technology), and they can be used as therapeutics themselves (so called phage therapy). Therefore, studies on biochemical aspects of bacteriophages are of broad scientific, biotechnological, and medical significance.

This Special Issue welcomes contributions that improve our understanding of the biology, biochemistry, and genetics of bacteriophages, as well as their possible applications in biotechnology and medicine. Potential areas of interest may include, but are not limited to:
● Biochemical properties of phages and molecular mechanisms of regulation of bacteriophage development
● Understanding biological processes related to phage-related pathogenicity of bacterial strains
● Development of novel or improved bacteriophage-based tools for genetics and biotechnology
● Studies on the use of phage therapy in medicine and veterinary medicine

We encourage the submission of different article types to this collection, especially reviews, mini-reviews, and original research articles. For a complete list of article types that can be considered, please follow this link. Though abstract submission is not mandatory, we encourage all interested researchers to submit an abstract before submitting their manuscript. Abstracts do not have to coincide with the final abstract of the manuscripts.

For authors, please review the journal's information regarding Author Guidelines and Article Processing Charges, or direct any questions to the Editorial Office: abp@frontierspartnerships.org.

Authors

Beata Zalewska-Piątek

Michalina Nagórka

Acta Biochimica Polonica