The Kiwa antiviral defense system was first described by Doron et al. 2018 :ref{doi=10.1126/science.aar4120} and further described by Todeschini et al. 2023 :ref{doi=10.1101/2023.02.26.530102}. It named after one of the divine guardians of the ocean in the Māori traditions.
The Kiwa antiviral defense system was first described in :ref{doi=10.1126/science.aar4120} and further described in :ref{doi=10.1101/2023.02.26.530102}. It is named after one of the divine guardians of the ocean in the Māori traditions. Kiwa is composed of two proteins: KwaA and KwaB.
## Molecular mechanisms
Kiwa is composed of two proteins: KwaA and KwaB. KwaA detects phage infection by detecting the inhibition of the host RNA polymerase by phages. This triggers the reponse by KwaB, which decreases phage DNA replication through a RecBCD-depdendent pathway :ref{doi=10.1101/2023.02.26.530102}..
KwaA detects phage infection by detecting the inhibition of the host RNA polymerase by phages. This triggers the reponse by KwaB, which decreases phage DNA replication through a RecBCD-depdendent pathway :ref{doi=10.1101/2023.02.26.530102}.
