Rotem Sorek

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Rotem Sorek
Rotem Sorek.jpg
Born (1975-03-16) March 16, 1975 (age 50)
Alma mater Tel Aviv University
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Known forThe bacterial immune system
Origin of human innate immunity
Communication between viruses
Awards HFSP Nakasone Award (2023)
Max Planck-Humboldt Research Award (2023)
Rothschild Prize (2024)
Selman A. Waksman Award in Microbiology (2025)
Gruber Prize in Genetics (2025)
Robert Koch Prize (2025)
Scientific career
Fields Microbiology
Immunology
Genomics
Institutions Weizmann Institute of Science
Website www.weizmann.ac.il/molgen/Sorek/

Rotem Sorek (born March 16, 1975) is an Israeli scientist known for his discoveries on the bacterial immune system [1] and for his works on the evolutionary origin of human innate immunity. [2] Sorek is also known for his discovery that viruses can use small molecules to communicate and coordinate their infection dynamics. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Sorek is a Professor of molecular genetics at the Weizmann Institute of Science, where he heads the laboratory of microbial genomics and systems biology. [6] He is an elected member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina [7] and the US National Academy of Sciences. [8]

Academic career

Sorek earned a PhD in human genetics from Tel Aviv University in 2007, advised by Gil Ast and Ron Shamir. After conducting postdoctoral studies at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, CA, he joined the Weizmann Institute of Science in 2008. Since 2014 Sorek is a Professor at the Weizmann Institute’s department of Molecular Genetics. [6]

Research

Early research

In his PhD studies, Sorek showed how new exons (pieces of genes in the human genome) are generated during evolution. [9] [10] [11] During his postdoctoral studies he developed a computational method to assess toxicity of gene cloning into bacteria, and studied aspects of barriers to horizontal gene transfer. [12] As an assistant professor Sorek studied RNA-mediated regulation in bacteria, [13] and discovered how the CRISPR-Cas system acquires new immune memories. [14]

The bacterial immune system

Sorek developed a large-scale functional genomics methodology to understand how bacteria protect themselves against viral (phage) infection. In a series of studies starting the year 2015, he revealed many dozens of previously unknown, sophisticated immunity mechanisms employed by bacteria to defend against phages. [15] [1] [16] [17] [18]

Sorek’s discoveries let to the understanding that many components of the human innate immune system evolved from defense systems that protect bacteria from phage infection. [2] Sorek showed that the cGAS-STING antiviral pathway, originally discovered in animals, is also widespread in bacteria and protects them against phage infection. [19] [20] [21] In addition, he found that genes with Toll-interleukin receptor (TIR) domains are involved in bacterial defense against phages, providing evidence for a common, ancient ancestry of innate immunity components shared between animals, plants, and bacteria. [22] [1] [23] [24] Sorek also reported that a human inflammatory process called Pyroptosis also originated in bacteria. [25] [26] His studies explained how the human innate immune system evolved, and helped characterize new immune mechanisms in humans, plants and other eukaryotes. [2] [23] [24] [27]

In parallel, Sorek’s studies revealed new kinds of small molecules used by both bacteria and eukaryotes for intracellular immune signaling, [20] [23] [28] [29] as well as discovered that reverse-transcribed non-coding RNAs called retrons mediate defense against phage. [30] His studies also showed that some bacteria produce new types of anti-viral molecules as part of their immune mechanisms against phages. [31] [32] Sorek’s research also revealed how viruses overcome bacterial defenses. [33] [34] [35] [36]

Communication between viruses

In 2017, Rotem Sorek discovered that viruses can use small-molecule communication to coordinate their infection dynamics. [4] His studies were the first to show that phages can make group decisions via small-molecule communication. [4] The communication molecule he discovered, called "Arbitrium", helps viruses to decide between the lytic and the lysogenic cycles, i.e., whether to replicate and lyse their host or to lysogenize and keep the host viable. [4] Sorek and his team found that the Arbitrium molecule is a 6-aminoacid long peptide, which is produced by the phage and released to the medium during infection. In subsequent infections, progeny phages measure the concentration of this peptide and lysogenize if the concentration is sufficiently high. Sorek further found that the arbitrium system is encoded by hundreds of phages that infect soil bacteria, and comprises three phage genes that produce and perceive the molecule. [37] His studies contributed to a scientific field called "Sociovirology". [5] [37]

Awards and honors

References

  1. 1 2 3 Doron, Shany; Melamed, Sarah; Ofir, Gal; Leavitt, Azita; Lopatina, Anna; Keren, Mai; Amitai, Gil; Sorek, Rotem (2 March 2018). "Systematic discovery of antiphage defense systems in the microbial pangenome". Science. 359 (6379) eaar4120. doi:10.1126/science.aar4120. PMC   6387622 . PMID   29371424.
  2. 1 2 3 Wein, Tanita; Sorek, Rotem (October 2022). "Bacterial origins of human cell-autonomous innate immune mechanisms". Nature Reviews Immunology. 22 (10): 629–638. doi:10.1038/s41577-022-00705-4. PMID   35396464.
  3. ↑ Callaway, Ewen (18 January 2017). "Do you speak virus? Phages caught sending chemical messages". Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2017.21313. S2CID   90839014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Erez, Zohar; Steinberger-Levy, Ida; Shamir, Maya; Doron, Shany; Stokar-Avihail, Avigail; Peleg, Yoav; Melamed, Sarah; Leavitt, Azita; Savidor, Alon; Albeck, Shira; Amitai, Gil; Sorek, Rotem (2017-01-26). "Communication between viruses guides lysis–lysogeny decisions". Nature. 541 (7638): 488–493. Bibcode:2017Natur.541..488E. doi:10.1038/nature21049. ISSN   0028-0836. PMC   5378303 . PMID   28099413.
  5. 1 2 Dolgin, Elie (2019). "The secret social lives of viruses". Nature. 570 (7761): 290–292. Bibcode:2019Natur.570..290D. doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-01880-6 . PMID   31213694.
  6. 1 2 Laboratory of Microbial Genomics and Systems Biology, at the Weizmann Institute of Science
  7. 1 2 Rotem Sorek, at the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
  8. ↑ "National Academy of Sciences Elects Members and International Members". The National Academy of Sciences. 29 April 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  9. ↑ Sorek, Rotem; Ast, Gil; Graur, Dan (July 2002). "Alu-containing exons are alternatively spliced". Genome Research. 12 (7): 1060–1067. doi:10.1101/gr.229302. ISSN   1088-9051. PMC   186627 . PMID   12097342.
  10. ↑ Sorek, Rotem; Lev-Maor, Galit; Reznik, Mika; Dagan, Tal; Belinky, Frida; Graur, Dan; Ast, Gil (23 April 2004). "Minimal conditions for exonization of intronic sequences: 5' splice site formation in alu exons". Molecular Cell. 14 (2): 221–231. doi:10.1016/s1097-2765(04)00181-9. ISSN   1097-2765. PMID   15099521.
  11. ↑ Sorek, Rotem (October 2007). "The birth of new exons: mechanisms and evolutionary consequences". RNA. 13 (10): 1603–1608. doi:10.1261/rna.682507. ISSN   1355-8382. PMC   1986822 . PMID   17709368.
  12. ↑ Sorek, Rotem; Zhu, Yiwen; Creevey, Christopher J.; Francino, M. Pilar; Bork, Peer; Rubin, Edward M. (30 November 2007). "Genome-Wide Experimental Determination of Barriers to Horizontal Gene Transfer" . Science. 318 (5855): 1449–1452. Bibcode:2007Sci...318.1449S. doi:10.1126/science.1147112. OSTI   927148. PMID   17947550.
  13. ↑ Dar, Daniel; Shamir, Maya; Mellin, J. R.; Koutero, Mikael; Stern-Ginossar, Noam; Cossart, Pascale; Sorek, Rotem (8 April 2016). "Term-seq reveals abundant ribo-regulation of antibiotics resistance in bacteria". Science. 352 (6282): aad9822. doi:10.1126/science.aad9822. ISSN   1095-9203. PMC   5756622 . PMID   27120414.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: article number as page number (link)
  14. ↑ Levy, Asaf; Goren, Moran G.; Yosef, Ido; Auster, Oren; Manor, Miriam; Amitai, Gil; Edgar, Rotem; Qimron, Udi; Sorek, Rotem (April 2015). "CRISPR adaptation biases explain preference for acquisition of foreign DNA". Nature. 520 (7548): 505–510. Bibcode:2015Natur.520..505L. doi:10.1038/nature14302. ISSN   1476-4687. PMC   4561520 . PMID   25874675.
  15. ↑ Charuchandra, Sukanya (1 October 2018). "Rotem Sorek Searches for Bacteria's Defenses Against Viruses". The Scientist . Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  16. ↑ Millman, Adi; Melamed, Sarah; Leavitt, Azita; Doron, Shany; Bernheim, Aude; Hör, Jens; Garb, Jeremy; Bechon, Nathalie; Brandis, Alexander; Lopatina, Anna; Ofir, Gal; Hochhauser, Dina; Stokar-Avihail, Avigail; Tal, Nitzan; Sharir, Saar; Voichek, Maya; Erez, Zohar; Ferrer, Jose Lorenzo M.; Dar, Daniel; Kacen, Assaf; Amitai, Gil; Sorek, Rotem (9 November 2022). "An expanded arsenal of immune systems that protect bacteria from phages". Cell Host & Microbe. 30 (11): 1556–1569.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2022.09.017 . ISSN   1934-6069. PMID   36302390.
  17. ↑ Tal, Nitzan; Sorek, Rotem (3 February 2022). "SnapShot: Bacterial immunity". Cell. 185 (3): 578–578.e1. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2021.12.029. ISSN   1097-4172. PMID   35120666.
  18. ↑ Goldfarb, Tamara; Sberro, Hila; Weinstock, Eyal; Cohen, Ofir; Doron, Shany; Charpak-Amikam, Yoav; Afik, Shaked; Ofir, Gal; Sorek, Rotem (14 January 2015). "BREX is a novel phage resistance system widespread in microbial genomes". The EMBO Journal. 34 (2): 169–183. doi:10.15252/embj.201489455. ISSN   0261-4189. PMC   4337064 . PMID   25452498.
  19. ↑ "The Basic Bacterial Defense". Weizmann Institute of Science. 26 September 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  20. 1 2 Cohen, Daniel; Melamed, Sarah; Millman, Adi; Shulman, Gabriela; Oppenheimer-Shaanan, Yaara; Kacen, Assaf; Doron, Shany; Amitai, Gil; Sorek, Rotem (October 2019). "Cyclic GMP–AMP signalling protects bacteria against viral infection" . Nature. 574 (7780): 691–695. Bibcode:2019Natur.574..691C. doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1605-5. ISSN   1476-4687. PMID   31533127.
  21. ↑ Millman, Adi; Melamed, Sarah; Amitai, Gil; Sorek, Rotem (December 2020). "Diversity and classification of cyclic-oligonucleotide-based anti-phage signalling systems". Nature Microbiology. 5 (12): 1608–1615. doi:10.1038/s41564-020-0777-y. ISSN   2058-5276. PMC   7610970 . PMID   32839535.
  22. ↑ "Bacteria and Plants Fight Alike". Weizmann Institute of Science. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  23. 1 2 3 Ofir, Gal; Herbst, Ehud; Baroz, Maya; Cohen, Daniel; Millman, Adi; Doron, Shany; Tal, Nitzan; Malheiro, Daniel B. A.; Malitsky, Sergey; Amitai, Gil; Sorek, Rotem (December 2021). "Antiviral activity of bacterial TIR domains via immune signalling molecules" . Nature. 600 (7887): 116–120. Bibcode:2021Natur.600..116O. doi:10.1038/s41586-021-04098-7. ISSN   1476-4687. PMID   34853457.
  24. 1 2 Leavitt, Azita; Yirmiya, Erez; Amitai, Gil; Lu, Allen; Garb, Jeremy; Herbst, Ehud; Morehouse, Benjamin R.; Hobbs, Samuel J.; Antine, Sadie P.; Sun, Zhen-Yu J.; Kranzusch, Philip J.; Sorek, Rotem (10 November 2022). "Viruses inhibit TIR gcADPR signalling to overcome bacterial defence". Nature. 611 (7935): 326–331. Bibcode:2022Natur.611..326L. doi:10.1038/s41586-022-05375-9. PMID   36174646.
  25. ↑ Johnson, Alex G.; Wein, Tanita; Mayer, Megan L.; Duncan-Lowey, Brianna; Yirmiya, Erez; Oppenheimer-Shaanan, Yaara; Amitai, Gil; Sorek, Rotem; Kranzusch, Philip J. (14 January 2022). "Bacterial gasdermins reveal an ancient mechanism of cell death". Science. 375 (6577): 221–225. Bibcode:2022Sci...375..221J. doi:10.1126/science.abj8432. PMC   9134750 . PMID   35025633.
  26. ↑ Wein, Tanita; Millman, Adi; Lange, Katharina; Yirmiya, Erez; Hadary, Romi; Garb, Jeremy; Melamed, Sarah; Amitai, Gil; Dym, Orly; Steinruecke, Felix; Hill, Aidan B.; Kranzusch, Philip J.; Sorek, Rotem (March 2025). "CARD domains mediate anti-phage defence in bacterial gasdermin systems". Nature. 639 (8055): 727–734. Bibcode:2025Natur.639..727W. doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08498-3. ISSN   1476-4687. PMC   12373157 . PMID   39880956.
  27. ↑ Rousset, Francois; Yirmiya, Erez; Nesher, Shahar; Brandis, Alexander; Mehlman, Tevie; Itkin, Maxim; Malitsky, Sergey; Millman, Adi; Melamed, Sarah; Sorek, Rotem (17 August 2023). "A conserved family of immune effectors cleaves cellular ATP upon viral infection". Cell. 186 (17): 3619–3631.e13. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.07.020 . ISSN   1097-4172. PMID   37595565.
  28. ↑ Tal, Nitzan; Morehouse, Benjamin R.; Millman, Adi; Stokar-Avihail, Avigail; Avraham, Carmel; Fedorenko, Taya; Yirmiya, Erez; Herbst, Ehud; Brandis, Alexander; Mehlman, Tevie; Oppenheimer-Shaanan, Yaara; Keszei, Alexander F. A.; Shao, Sichen; Amitai, Gil; Kranzusch, Philip J.; Sorek, Rotem (11 November 2021). "Cyclic CMP and cyclic UMP mediate bacterial immunity against phages". Cell. 184 (23): 5728–5739.e16. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2021.09.031. ISSN   1097-4172. PMC   9070634 . PMID   34644530.
  29. ↑ Rousset, François; Osterman, Ilya; Scherf, Tali; Falkovich, Alla H.; Leavitt, Azita; Amitai, Gil; Shir, Sapir; Malitsky, Sergey; Itkin, Maxim; Savidor, Alon; Sorek, Rotem (31 January 2025). "TIR signaling activates caspase-like immunity in bacteria" . Science. 387 (6733): 510–516. Bibcode:2025Sci...387..510R. doi:10.1126/science.adu2262. PMID   39883761.
  30. ↑ Millman, Adi; Bernheim, Aude; Stokar-Avihail, Avigail; Fedorenko, Taya; Voichek, Maya; Leavitt, Azita; Oppenheimer-Shaanan, Yaara; Sorek, Rotem (10 December 2020). "Bacterial Retrons Function In Anti-Phage Defense". Cell. 183 (6): 1551–1561.e12. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.09.065 . ISSN   1097-4172. PMID   33157039.
  31. ↑ Jeffay, Nathan (17 September 2020). "Israeli research: Bacteria may be key to curing coronavirus and other viruses". Times of Israel . Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  32. ↑ Bernheim, Aude; Millman, Adi; Ofir, Gal; Meitav, Gilad; Avraham, Carmel; Shomar, Helena; Rosenberg, Masha M.; Tal, Nir; Melamed, Sarah; Amitai, Gil; Sorek, Rotem (January 2021). "Prokaryotic viperins produce diverse antiviral molecules". Nature. 589 (7840): 120–124. Bibcode:2021Natur.589..120B. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2762-2. ISSN   1476-4687. PMC   7610908 . PMID   32937646.
  33. ↑ "Viruses Gain the Upper Hand". Weizmann Institute of Science. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  34. ↑ Yirmiya, Erez; Leavitt, Azita; Lu, Allen; Ragucci, Adelyn E.; Avraham, Carmel; Osterman, Ilya; Garb, Jeremy; Antine, Sadie P.; Mooney, Sarah E.; Hobbs, Samuel J.; Kranzusch, Philip J.; Amitai, Gil; Sorek, Rotem (January 2024). "Phages overcome bacterial immunity via diverse anti-defence proteins" . Nature. 625 (7994): 352–359. Bibcode:2024Natur.625..352Y. doi:10.1038/s41586-023-06869-w. ISSN   1476-4687. PMID   37992756.
  35. ↑ Osterman, Ilya; Samra, Hadar; Rousset, Francois; Loseva, Elena; Itkin, Maxim; Malitsky, Sergey; Yirmiya, Erez; Millman, Adi; Sorek, Rotem (October 2024). "Phages reconstitute NAD+ to counter bacterial immunity" . Nature. 634 (8036): 1160–1167. doi:10.1038/s41586-024-07986-w. ISSN   1476-4687. PMID   39322677.
  36. ↑ Yirmiya, Erez; Hobbs, Samuel J.; Leavitt, Azita; Osterman, Ilya; Avraham, Carmel; Hochhauser, Dina; Madhala, Barak; Skovorodka, Marharyta; Tan, Joel M. J.; Toyoda, Hunter C.; Chebotar, Igor; Itkin, Maxim; Malitsky, Sergey; Amitai, Gil; Kranzusch, Philip J.; Sorek, Rotem (20 March 2025). "Structure-guided discovery of viral proteins that inhibit host immunity" . Cell. 188 (6): 1681–1692.e17. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2024.12.035. ISSN   0092-8674. PMID   39855193.
  37. 1 2 Stokar-Avihail, Avigail; Tal, Nitzan; Erez, Zohar; Lopatina, Anna; Sorek, Rotem (8 May 2019). "Widespread Utilization of Peptide Communication in Phages Infecting Soil and Pathogenic Bacteria". Cell Host & Microbe. 25 (5): 746–755.e5. doi:10.1016/j.chom.2019.03.017. ISSN   1934-6069. PMC   6986904 . PMID   31071296.
  38. ↑ Fellows,European Academy of Microbiology
  39. ↑ Rotem Sorek, European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  40. ↑ The Rappaport Prize for Excellence in the field of Biomedical Research
  41. ↑ Rotem Sorek, Landau Prize
  42. ↑ The Michael Bruno Memorial Award, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
  43. ↑ HFSP Nakasone Award, Human Frontier Science Program
  44. ↑ "Distinction for research project: how bacteria fend off viruses". www.lmu.de. Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. 12 September 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  45. ↑ "How Bacteria Defend Against Viruses". University of Würzburg. 12 September 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  46. ↑ "Max Planck-Humboldt Research Award 2023". Max Planck Society. 12 September 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  47. ↑ "The Rothschild Prize". Yad Hanadiv . Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  48. ↑ "Selman A. Waksman Award in Microbiology - Rotem Sorek". National Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  49. ↑ "National Academy of Sciences Elects Members and International Members - 2025". National Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  50. ↑ "2025 Gruber Genetics Prize: 2025 Genetics Prize Recipient - Rotem Sorek". Yale University . Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  51. ↑ "Robert Koch Prize 2025 for Rotem Sorek". Robert Koch Foundation. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
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