# Birth of protein folds and functions in the virome

*PRI Rank #8 · Topics and Trends in Most Cited Bacteriophages and microbial interactions Papers, Class of 2026*

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/bacteriophages-and-microbial-interactions/2026/rank-8*

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Rank | #8 |
| 18m citations | 76 |
| Journal | Nature |
| Year | 2024 |
| DOI | 10.1038/s41586-024-07809-y |
| Corresponding authors | Jennifer A. Doudna |
| Institution | Gladstone-UCSF Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology, United States |

**Ranking page:** [Topics and Trends in Most Cited Bacteriophages and microbial interactions Papers, Class of 2026](https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/bacteriophages-and-microbial-interactions/2026)

**Paper link:** [10.1038/s41586-024-07809-y](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07809-y)

## Topics

Viral proteins · eukaryotic viral species · AlphaFold Protein Structure Database · Structural similarity · Phage immune evasion · RNA ligase T-like phosphodiesterases · Cyclic dinucleotide · cGAMP · cGAMP · avian poxviruses · Bacteriophages · cGAMP hydrolysis · Phage-host interactions · protein fold evolution · sequence divergence · structural analogue prediction · immune-activating molecules · Phage proteins · Viral proteins · virome structural database

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Bacteriophages and microbial interactions Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/bacteriophages-and-microbial-interactions/2026. Accessed 2026-07-17.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```