Characterization of a new virulent phage infecting the lactic acid bacterium Oenococcus oeni

Isolation and genomic characterization of Vmp-1 using Vibrio mimicus as the host: A novel virulent bacteriophage capable of cross-species lysis against three Vibrio spp

Vibrio mimicus is a zoonotic pathogen that is widely distributed in aquatic habitats/environments (marine coastal water, estuaries, etc). The development of biocontrol agents for V. mimicus is imperative for the prevention and control of aquatic animal diseases and human food-borne infections. In this study, a broad-spectrum bacteriophage Vmp-1 was isolated from dealt aquatic product in a local market by double-layer agar plate method using V. mimicus CICC21613 as the host bacteria. Results indicated that Vmp-1, which belongs to the family Podoviridae, showed good pH tolerance (pH 3.0-12.0) and thermal stability (30-50 °C). The optimal multiplicity of infection (MOI) of Vmp-1 was 0.001 for a 20-min incubation and 100-min lysis period. Vmp-1 effectively controlled V. mimicus CICC21613 in LBS model (MOI = 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1) within 8 h. The full length of the Vmp-1 genome was 43,312 bp, with average GC content of 49.5%, and a total of 44 protein-coding regions. This study provides a novel phage strain that has the highest homology with vB_VpP_HA5 (GenBank: OK585159.1, 95.96%) for the development of biocontrol agents for V. mimicus.

Phage-host interactions as a driver of population dynamics during wine fermentation: Betting on underdogs

Winemaking is a complex process in which numerous microorganisms, mainly yeasts and lactic acid bacteria (LAB), play important roles. After alcoholic fermentation (AF), most wines undergo malolactic fermentation (MLF) to improve their organoleptic properties and microbiological stability. Oenococcus oeni is mainly responsible for this crucial process where L-malic acid (MA) in wine converts to softer L-lactic acid. The bacterium is better adapted to the limiting conditions imposed by the wine matrix and performs MLF under regular winemaking conditions, especially in wines with a pH below 3.5. Traditionally, this process has been conducted by the natural microbiota present within the winery. However, the start, duration and qualitative impact of spontaneous MLF are unpredictable, which prompts winemakers to use pure starter cultures of selected bacteria to promote a more reliable, simple, fast and efficient fermentation. Yet, their use does not always ensure a problem-free fermentation. Spontaneous initiation of the process may prove very difficult or does not occur at all. Such difficulties arise from a combination of factors found in some wines upon the completion of AF (high ethanol concentration, low temperature and pH, low nutrient concentrations, presence of free and bound SO₂). Alongside these well documented facts, research has also provided evidence that negative interactions between O. oeni and other biological entities such as yeasts may also impact MLF. Another insufficiently described, but highly significant factor inhibiting bacterial growth is connected to the presence of bacteriophages of O. oeni which are frequently associated to musts and wines. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current knowledge about the phage life cycles and possible impacts on the trajectory of the microbiota during winemaking.

Whole Genome Sequence Analysis of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Bacteriophage P2

Phage P2 was isolated from failed fermentation broth carried out by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum IMAU10120. A previous study in our laboratory showed that this phage belonged to the Siphoviridae family. In this study, this phage's genomic characteristics were analyzed using whole-genome sequencing. It was revealed that phage P2 was 77.9 kb in length and had 39.28% G + C content. Its genome included 96 coding sequences (CDS) and two tRNA genes involved in the function of the structure, DNA replication, packaging, and regulation. Phage P2 had higher host specificity; many tested strains were not infected. Cell wall adsorption experiments showed that the adsorption receptor component of phage P2 might be a part of the cell wall peptidoglycan. This research might enrich the knowledge about genomic information of lactobacillus phages and provide some primary data to establish phage control measures.

Investigation of the Phageome and Prophages in French Cider, a Fermented Beverage

Phageomes are known to play a key role in the functioning of their associated microbial communities. The phageomes of fermented foods have not been studied thoroughly in fermented foods yet, and even less in fermented beverages. Two approaches were employed to investigate the presence of phages in cider, a fermented beverage made from apple, during a fermentation process of two cider tanks, one from an industrial producer and one from a hand-crafted producer. The phageome (free lytic phages) was explored in cider samples with several methodological developments for total phage DNA extraction, along with single phage isolation. Concentration methods, such as tangential flow filtration, flocculation and classical phage concentration methods, were employed and tested to extract free phage particles from cider. This part of the work revealed a very low occurrence of free lytic phage particles in cider. In parallel, a prophage investigation during the fermentation process was also performed using a metagenomic approach on the total bacterial genomic DNA. Prophages in bacterial metagenomes in the two cider tanks seemed also to occur in low abundance, as a total of 1174 putative prophages were identified in the two tanks overtime, and only two complete prophages were revealed. Prophage occurrence was greater at the industrial producer than at the hand-crafted producer, and different dynamics of prophage trends were also observed during fermentation. This is the first report dealing with the investigation of the phageome and of prophages throughout a fermentation process of a fermented beverage.

Exploring the diversity of bacteriophage specific to Oenococcus oeni and Lactobacillus spp and their role in wine production

The widespread existence of bacteriophage has been of great interest to the biological research community and ongoing investigations continue to explore their diversity and role. They have also attracted attention and in-depth research in connection to fermented food processing, in particular from the dairy and wine industries. Bacteriophage, mostly oenophage, may in fact be a 'double edged sword' for winemakers: whilst they have been implicated as a causal agent of difficulties with malolactic fermentation (although not proven), they are also beginning to be considered as alternatives to using sulphur dioxide to prevent wine spoilage. Investigation and characterisation of oenophage of Oenococcus oeni, the main species used in winemaking, are still limited compared to lactococcal bacteriophage of Lactococcus lactis and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (formally Lactobacillus plantarum), the drivers of most fermented dairy products. Interestingly, these strains are also being used or considered for use in winemaking. In this review, the genetic diversity and life cycle of phage, together with the debate on the consequent impact of phage predation in wine, and potential control strategies are discussed. KEY POINTS: • Bacteriophage detected in wine are diverse. • Many lysogenic bacteriophage are found in wine bacteria. • Phage impact on winemaking can depend on the stage of the winemaking process. • Bacteriophage as potential antimicrobial agents against spoilage organisms.

Dual-site recognition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa using polymyxin B and bacteriophage tail fiber protein

As one of the top three opportunistic pathogens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) has long accounted for hospital-acquired infections with high risk of death. In this work, a fluorescent method based on a dual-site recognition mode was developed for rapid assay of P. aeruginosa. Employing its strong binding capability towards lipid A on the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, polymyxin B acted as one recognition element for P. aeruginosa. To overcome the poor binding specificity of polymyxin B, a recombinant bacteriophage tail fiber protein was expressed and employed as a species-specific recognition element for the target pathogen. Thus a dual-site recognition mode was developed for specific assay of P. aeruginosa species by using fluorescein isothiocyanate as a fluorescent probe. The target pathogen can be assayed within a broad dynamic range from 2.0 × 10³ CFU mL^-1 to 2.0 × 10⁷ CFU mL^-1. Due to the ideal specificity of tail fiber protein, the method is capable of excluding the interference from other Gram-negative bacteria and all Gram-positive bacteria. It has been employed for assaying P. aeruginosa in various types of sample matrixes inclusive of lake water, physiological saline injection, human urine and milk. The acceptable assay results demonstrate its promising prospect for practical application in various areas such as environmental hygiene, medical diagnosis, as well as drug and food safety.

Distribution of Prophages in the Oenococcus oeni Species

Oenococcus oeni is the most exploited lactic acid bacterium in the wine industry and drives the malolactic fermentation of wines. Although prophage-like sequences have been identified in the species, many are not characterized, and a global view of their integration and distribution amongst strains is currently lacking. In this work, we analyzed the complete genomes of 231 strains for the occurrence of prophages, and analyzed their size and positions of insertion. Our data show the limited variation in the number of prophages in O. oeni genomes, and that six sites of insertion within the bacterial genome are being used for site-specific recombination. Prophage diversity patterns varied significantly for different host lineages, and environmental niches. Overall, the findings highlight the pervasive presence of prophages in the O. oeni species, their role as a major source of within-species bacterial diversity and drivers of horizontal gene transfer. Our data also have implications for enhanced understanding of the prophage recombination events which occurred during evolution of O. oeni, as well as the potential of prophages in influencing the fitness of these bacteria in their distinct niches.

Isolation and genomic characterization of P.A-5, a novel virulent bacteriophage against Enterobacter hormaechei

Enterobacter hormaechei is a foodborne pathogen responsible for neonatal sepsis in humans and respiratory disease in animals. In this work, a new virulent phage (P.A-5) infecting E. hormaechei was isolated from domestic sewage samples and characterized. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that P.A-5 belonged to the family Myoviridae having a head size of 77.53 nm and a tail length of 72.24 nm. The burst size was 262 PFU/cell after a latent period of 20 min. Phage P.A-5 was able to survive in a pH range of 4-9 and resist temperatures up to 55 °C for 60 min. The genome sequence of P.A-5 had homology most similar to that of Shigellae phage MK-13 (GenBank: MK509462.1). Pork artificially contaminated with E. hormaechei was used as a model to evaluate the potential of P.A-5. The results clearly showed that P.A-5 treatment can completely inhibit E. hormaechei growth in pork within 8 h, indicating the potential use of P.A-5 as a biocontrol agent for E. hormaechei.

Characterization of the First Virulent Phage Infecting Oenococcus oeni, the Queen of the Cellars

There has been little exploration of how phages contribute to the diversity of the bacterial community associated with winemaking and may impact fermentations and product quality. Prophages of Oenococcus oeni, the most common species of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) associated with malolactic fermentation of wine, have been described, but no data is available regarding phages of O. oeni with true virulent lifestyles. The current study reports on the incidence and characterization of the first group of virulent oenophages named Vinitor, isolated from the enological environment. Vinitor phages are morphologically very similar to siphoviruses infecting other LAB. Although widespread during winemaking, they are more abundant in musts than temperate oenophages. We obtained the complete genomic sequences of phages Vinitor162 and Vinitor27, isolated from white and red wines, respectively. The assembled genomes shared 97.6% nucleotide identity and belong to the same species. Coupled with phylogenetic analysis, our study revealed that the genomes of Vinitor phages are architecturally mosaics and represent unique combinations of modules amongst LAB infecting-phages. Our data also provide some clues to possible evolutionary connections between Vinitor and (pro)phages associated to epiphytic and insect-related bacteria.

Wine Phenolic Compounds Differently Affect the Host-Killing Activity of Two Lytic Bacteriophages Infecting the Lactic Acid Bacterium Oenococcus oeni

To provide insights into phage-host interactions during winemaking, we assessed whether phenolic compounds modulate the phage predation of Oenococcus oeni. Centrifugal partition chromatography was used to fractionate the phenolic compounds of a model red wine. The ability of lytic oenophage OE33PA to kill its host was reduced in the presence of two collected fractions in which we identified five compounds. Three, namely, quercetin, myricetin and p-coumaric acid, significantly reduced the phage predation of O. oeni when provided as individual pure molecules, as also did other structurally related compounds such as cinnamic acid. Their presence was correlated with a reduced adsorption rate of phage OE33PA on its host. Strikingly, none of the identified compounds affected the killing activity of the distantly related lytic phage Vinitor162. OE33PA and Vinitor162 were shown to exhibit different entry mechanisms to penetrate into bacterial cells. We propose that ligand-receptor interactions that mediate phage adsorption to the cell surface are diverse in O. oeni and are subject to differential interference by phenolic compounds. Their presence did not induce any modifications in the cell surface as visualized by TEM. Interestingly, docking analyses suggest that quercetin and cinnamic acid may interact with the tail of OE33PA and compete with host recognition.

Phage community involvement in fermented beverages: an open door to technological advances?

Bacteriophages (phages) are considered the most abundant biological entities on Earth. An increasing interest in understanding phage communities, also called viromes or phageomes, has arisen over the past decade especially thanks to the development and the accessibility of Next Generation Sequencing techniques. Despite the increasing amount of available metagenomic data on microbial communities in various habitats, viromes remain poorly described in the scientific literature particularly when it comes to fermented food and beverages such as wine and cider. In this review, a particular attention is paid to the current knowledge on phage communities, with a special focus on fermented food viromes and the methodological tools available to undertake their study. There is a striking lack of available data on the fermented foods and beverages viromes. As far as we know, and although a number of phages have been isolated from wine, no general study has to date been carried out to assess the diversity of viromes in fermented beverages and their possible interactions with microbiota throughout the fermentation process. With the aim of establishing connections between the currently used technologies to carry out the analysis of viromes, possible applications of current knowledge to fermented beverages are examined.

Lysogeny in the Lactic Acid Bacterium Oenococcus oeni Is Responsible for Modified Colony Morphology on Red Grape Juice Agar

Oenococcus oeni is the lactic acid bacterium (LAB) that most commonly drives malolactic fermentation in wine. Although oenococcal prophages are highly prevalent, their implications on bacterial fitness have remained unexplored and more research is required in this field. An important step toward achieving this goal is the ability to produce isogenic pairs of strains that differ only by the lysogenic presence of a given prophage, allowing further comparisons of different phenotypic traits. A novel protocol for the rapid isolation of lysogens is presented. Bacteria were first picked from the center of turbid plaques produced by temperate oenophages on a sensitive nonlysogenic host. When streaked onto an agar medium containing red grape juice (RGJ), cells segregated into white and red colonies. PCR amplifications with phage-specific primers demonstrated that only lysogens underwent white-red morphotypic switching. The method proved successful for various oenophages irrespective of their genomic content and attachment site used for site-specific recombination in the bacterial chromosome. The color switch was also observed when a sensitive nonlysogenic strain was infected with an exogenously provided lytic phage, suggesting that intracolonial lysis triggers the change. Last, lysogens also produced red colonies on white grape juice agar supplemented with polyphenolic compounds. We posit that spontaneous prophage excision produces cell lysis events in lysogenic colonies growing on RGJ agar, which, in turn, foster interactions between lysed materials and polyphenolic compounds to yield colonies easily distinguishable by their red color. Furthermore, the technique was used successfully with other species of LAB.IMPORTANCE The presence of white and red colonies on red grape juice (RGJ) agar during enumeration of Oenococcus oeni in wine samples is frequently observed by stakeholders in the wine industry. Our study brings an explanation for this intriguing phenomenon and establishes a link between the white-red color switch and the lysogenic state of O. oeni It also provides a simple and inexpensive method to distinguish between lysogenic and nonlysogenic derivatives in O. oeni with a minimum of expended time and effort. Noteworthy, the protocol could be adapted to two other species of LAB, namely, Leuconostoc citreum and Lactobacillus plantarum It could be an effective tool to provide genetic, ecological, and functional insights into lysogeny and aid in improving biotechnological processes involving members of the lactic acid bacterium (LAB) family.

Complete Genome Sequence of Lytic Oenococcus oeni Bacteriophage OE33PA

Oenococcus oeni is the most common species of lactic acid bacteria associated with malolactic fermentation in wine. Here, we report the genome sequence of the lytic phage OE33PA (vB_OeS_OE33PA).

Oenococcus oeni is the most common species of lactic acid bacteria associated with malolactic fermentation in wine. Here, we report the genome sequence of the lytic phage OE33PA (vB_OeS_OE33PA). It has a morphotype similar to that of members of the Siphoviridae family, a linear 39,866-bp double-stranded genome with cohesive ends, and 57 predicted open reading frames.

Bacteriophage GC1, a Novel Tectivirus Infecting Gluconobacter Cerinus, an Acetic Acid Bacterium Associated with Wine-Making

The Gluconobacter phage GC1 is a novel member of the Tectiviridae family isolated from a juice sample collected during dry white wine making. The bacteriophage infects Gluconobacter cerinus, an acetic acid bacterium which represents a spoilage microorganism during wine making, mainly because it is able to produce ethyl alcohol and transform it into acetic acid. Transmission electron microscopy revealed tail-less icosahedral particles with a diameter of ~78 nm. The linear double-stranded DNA genome of GC1 (16,523 base pairs) contains terminal inverted repeats and carries 36 open reading frames, only a handful of which could be functionally annotated. These encode for the key proteins involved in DNA replication (protein-primed family B DNA polymerase) as well as in virion structure and assembly (major capsid protein, genome packaging ATPase (adenosine triphosphatase) and several minor capsid proteins). GC1 is the first tectivirus infecting an alphaproteobacterial host and is thus far the only temperate tectivirus of gram-negative bacteria. Based on distinctive sequence and life-style features, we propose that GC1 represents a new genus within the Tectiviridae, which we tentatively named “Gammatectivirus”. Furthermore, GC1 helps to bridge the gap in the sequence space between alphatectiviruses and betatectiviruses.

A survey of oenophages during wine making reveals a novel group with unusual genomic characteristics

Oenophages have so far been mostly isolated from red wines under malolactic fermentation (MLF), and correspond to temperate or ex-temperate phages of Oenococcus oeni. Their genomes are clustered into 4 integrase gene sequence groups, which are also related to the chromosomal integration site. Our aims were to survey the occurrence of oenophages in a broader and more diverse collection of samples than those previously explored. Active phages were isolated from 33 out of 166 samples, which mostly originated from must and MLF. Seventy one phage lysates were produced and 30% were assigned to a novel group with unusual genomic characteristics, called unk. All unk members produced similar RAPD and DNA restriction patterns, were negative by PCR for the signature sequences previously identified in the integrase and endolysin genes of oenophages, and lacked any BamHI restriction site in their genome. The data support that development of additional and novel signature genes for assessing oenophage diversity is now required.

"French Phage Network"-Second Meeting Report

The study of bacteriophages (viruses of bacteria) includes a variety of approaches, such as structural biology, genetics, ecology, and evolution, with increasingly important implications for therapeutic and industrial uses. Researchers working with phages in France have recently established a network to facilitate the exchange on complementary approaches, but also to engage new collaborations. Here, we provide a summary of the topics presented during the second meeting of the French Phage Network that took place in Marseille in November 2016.