Structure and inherent properties of the bacteriophage lambda head shell. VI. DNA-packaging-defective mutants in the major capsid protein

A novel Saclayvirus Acinetobacter baumannii phage genomic analysis and effectiveness in preventing pneumonia

Acinetobacter baumannii, which is resistant to multiple drugs, is an opportunistic pathogen responsible for severe nosocomial infections. With no antibiotics available, phages have obtained clinical attention. However, since immunocompromised patients are often susceptible to infection, the appropriate timing of administration is particularly important. During this research, we obtained a lytic phage vB_AbaM_P1 that specifically targets A. baumannii. We then assessed its potential as a prophylactic treatment for lung infections caused by clinical strains. The virus experiences a period of inactivity lasting 30 min and produces approximately 788 particles during an outbreak. Transmission electron microscopy shows that vB_AbaM_P1 was similar to the Saclayvirus. Based on the analysis of high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics, vB_AbaM_P1 consists of 107537 bases with a G + C content of 37.68%. It contains a total of 177 open reading frames and 14 tRNAs. No antibiotic genes were detected. In vivo experiments, using a cyclophosphamide-induced neutrophil deficiency model, tested the protective effect of phage on neutrophil-deficient rats by prophylactic application of phage. The use of phages resulted in a decrease in rat mortality caused by A. baumannii and a reduction in the bacterial burden in the lungs. Histologic examination of lung tissue revealed a decrease in the presence of immune cells. The presence of phage vB_AbaM_P1 had a notable impact on preventing A. baumannii infection, as evidenced by the decrease in oxidative stress in lung tissue and cytokine levels in serum. Our research offers more robust evidence for the early utilization of bacteriophages to mitigate A. baumannii infection. KEY POINTS: •A novel Saclayvirus phage infecting A. baumannii was isolated from sewage. •The whole genome was determined, analyzed, and compared to other phages. •Assaying the effect of phage in preventing infection in neutrophil-deficient models.

Condensation and Protection of DNA by the Myxococcus xanthus Encapsulin: A Novel Function

Encapsulins are protein nanocages capable of harboring smaller proteins (cargo proteins) within their cavity. The function of the encapsulin systems is related to the encapsulated cargo proteins. The Myxococcus xanthus encapsulin (EncA) naturally encapsulates ferritin-like proteins EncB and EncC as cargo, resulting in a large iron storage nanocompartment, able to accommodate up to 30,000 iron atoms per shell. In the present manuscript we describe the binding and protection of circular double stranded DNA (pUC19) by EncA using electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and DNase protection assays. EncA binds pUC19 with an apparent dissociation constant of 0.3 ± 0.1 µM and a Hill coefficient of 1.4 ± 0.1, while EncC alone showed no interaction with DNA. Accordingly, the EncAC complex displayed a similar DNA binding capacity as the EncA protein. The data suggest that initially, EncA converts the plasmid DNA from a supercoiled to a more relaxed form with a beads-on-a-string morphology. At higher concentrations, EncA self-aggregates, condensing the DNA. This process physically protects DNA from enzymatic digestion by DNase I. The secondary structure and thermal stability of EncA and the EncA-pUC19 complex were evaluated using synchrotron radiation circular dichroism (SRCD) spectroscopy. The overall secondary structure of EncA is maintained upon interaction with pUC19 while the melting temperature of the protein (T_m) slightly increased from 76 ± 1 °C to 79 ± 1 °C. Our work reports, for the first time, the in vitro capacity of an encapsulin shell to interact and protect plasmid DNA similarly to other protein nanocages that may be relevant in vivo.

Structural basis of bacteriophage lambda capsid maturation

Bacteriophage lambda is an excellent model system for studying capsid assembly of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) bacteriophages, some dsDNA archaeal viruses, and herpesviruses. HK97 fold coat proteins initially assemble into a precursor capsid (procapsid) and subsequent genome packaging triggers morphological expansion of the shell. An auxiliary protein is required to stabilize the expanded capsid structure. To investigate the capsid maturation mechanism, we determined the cryo-electron microscopy structures of the bacteriophage lambda procapsid and mature capsid at 3.88 Å and 3.76 Å resolution, respectively. Besides primarily rigid body movements of common features of the major capsid protein gpE, large-scale structural rearrangements of other domains occur simultaneously. Assembly of intercapsomers within the procapsid is facilitated by layer-stacking effects at 3-fold vertices. Upon conformational expansion of the capsid shell, the missing top layer is fulfilled by cementing the gpD protein against the internal pressure of DNA packaging. Our structures illuminate the assembly mechanisms of dsDNA viruses.

Functional and comparative genome analysis of novel virulent actinophages belonging to Streptomyces flavovirens

Background

Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies provide exciting possibilities for whole genome sequencing of a plethora of organisms including bacterial strains and phages, with many possible applications in research and diagnostics. No Streptomyces flavovirens phages have been sequenced to date; there is therefore a lack in available information about S. flavovirens phage genomics. We report biological and physiochemical features and use NGS to provide the complete annotated genomes for two new strains (Sf1 and Sf3) of the virulent phage Streptomyces flavovirens, isolated from Egyptian soil samples.

Results

The S. flavovirens phages (Sf1 and Sf3) examined in this study show higher adsorption rates (82 and 85%, respectively) than other actinophages, indicating a strong specificity to their host, and latent periods (15 and 30 min.), followed by rise periods of 45 and 30 min. As expected for actinophages, their burst sizes were 1.95 and 2.49 virions per mL. Both phages were stable and, as reported in previous experiments, showed a significant increase in their activity after sodium chloride (NaCl) and magnesium chloride (MgCl₂.6H₂O) treatments, whereas after zinc chloride (ZnCl2) application both phages showed a significant decrease in infection.

The sequenced phage genomes are parts of a singleton cluster with sizes of 43,150 bp and 60,934 bp, respectively. Bioinformatics analyses and functional characterizations enabled the assignment of possible functions to 19 and 28 putative identified ORFs, which included phage structural proteins, lysis components and metabolic proteins.

Thirty phams were identified in both phages, 10 (33.3%) of them with known function, which can be used in cluster prediction. Comparative genomic analysis revealed significant homology between the two phages, showing the highest hits among Sf1, Sf3 and the closest Streptomyces phage (VWB phages) in a specific 13Kb region. However, the phylogenetic analysis using the Major Capsid Protein (MCP) sequences highlighted that the isolated phages belong to the BG Streptomyces phage group but are clearly separated, representing a novel sub-cluster.

Conclusion

The results of this study provide the first physiological and genomic information for S. flavovirens phages and will be useful for pharmaceutical industries based on S. flavovirens and future phage evolution studies.

Capsid size determination in the P2-P4 bacteriophage system: suppression of sir mutations in P2's capsid gene N by supersid mutations in P4's external scaffold gene sid

The sid gene of the P2-dependent phage P4 provides an external scaffold so P2 N gene encoded protomers assemble as T = 4 capsids rather than as P2's T = 7 capsids. Mutations (sir) in the middle of N interfere with Sid's function. We describe a new P4 mutant class, nms ("supersid") mutations, which direct also P2 sir to provide small capsids. Three different nms mutations were located near the sid end, commingled with sid(-) mutations. Suppression of sir by nms is not allele-specific. Our results favor this interpretation of capsid size control: (i) sir mutations reduce pN protomer flexibility and thereby interfere with the generation of T = 4 compatible hexons; (ii) the C-termini of Sid molecules link up when forming the scaffold; nms mutations strengthen these Sid-Sid contacts and thus allow the scaffold to force even sir-type protomers to form T = 4 compatible hexons. Some related findings concern suppression of N ts mutations by P4.

Identification of a gene in Bacillus subtilis bacteriophage SPP1 determining the amount of packaged DNA

The virulent Bacillus subtilis bacteriophage SPP1 encapsidates its DNA by a headful mechanism. Analyzing phage missense mutants, which package less DNA than SPP1 wild-type but show no other affected properties, we have identified a gene whose product is involved in the sizing of phage DNA during maturation. Characterization of this gene and its product provides an experimental access to the poorly understood mechanism of DNA sizing in packaging. The gene (gene 6 or siz) was cloned and sequenced. An open reading frame (ORF) coding for a 57.3 kDa polypeptide was identified. All the single nucleotide substitutions present in different siz mutants affect the net charge of that protein. The gene was further characterized by assignment of several nonsense mutations (sus) to the ORF. Phages carrying the latter type of mutations could be complemented in trans when gene 6 is provided by a plasmid.

Structure of the bacteriophage lambda cohesive end site. Genetic analysis of the site (cosN) at which nicks are introduced by terminase

A collection of mutations affecting the site (cosN) at which the bacteriophage lambda DNA packaging enzyme, terminase, introduces nicks to generate mature lambda chromosomes has been studied. A good correlation was found for mutational effects on burst size, accumulation of unused proheads, packaging of DNA into heads and cos cutting by terminase in vitro, indicating that defective cosN cleavage by terminase is the molecular explanation for the phenotypic effects of the mutations. Although the base-pairs of cosN display partial twofold rotational symmetry, cosN was found to be asymmetric functionally. Certain mutations to the left side of the center of rotational symmetry have more pronounced phenotypic effects than rotationally symmetric mutations to the right. The cosN11G mutation has no phenotypic effects when present as a single mutation, but does affect DNA packaging and cosN cutting in the presence of the symmetrically disposed cosN2C mutation. Mutations that decrease cosN cleavage result in the accumulation of unexpanded proheads, indicating that prohead expansion depends on cosN cutting.

Structure and inherent properties of the bacteriophage lambda head shell. VII. Molecular design of the form-determining major capsid protein

Some mutations in the major capsid protein (gpE) of lambda phage can alter the size and shape of the head shell or block the pathway of head maturation. Previous studies on the classification of such mutants showed that there are at least five functional sites on the gpE molecule. In this study, we determined the amino acid exchanges by DNA sequencing to elucidate the molecular design of the form-determining multifunctional protein gpE. In addition, we characterized the mutated gpE molecules by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and studied suppression patterns of amber mutants at 43 amino acid residues. Those mutations map at 19 amino acid residues at 22 bases, which are located in three regions, 40 to 91, 222 to 246, and 284 to 324 of the 341 amino acid residues of gpE. These regions seem to be important in the activity of gpE, since amber mutations in these regions are suppressed on the average by less species of suppressors than those outside these regions. The mutations having different phenotypes are not segregated from each other, while some mutations having the same phenotype are separated far apart in the primary structure. This suggests that the functional sites were formed during evolution after the folding pattern of the ancestral gpE polypeptide chain had been established. Many of the mutations are located at serine, glycine and proline residues in predicted beta-turns.