Along for the ride: prophage-induced flagellar remodelling.

TldRs (TnpB-like nuclease-dead repressors) are RNA-guided transcriptional repressors. Walker et al. show that a temperate, Flagellin Remodelling prophage uses TldRs to repress host flagellin (fliCH) while expressing its own isoform (fliCP), altering filament architecture. This enhances motility, reduces TLR5-driven immune activation, and improves gut colonisation.