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Giermasińska-Buczek K, Gawor J, Stefańczyk E, Gągała U, Żuchniewicz K, Rekosz-Burlaga H, Gromadka R, Łobocka M. Interaction of bacteriophage P1 with an epiphytic Pantoea agglomerans strain-the role of the interplay between various mobilome elements. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1356206. [PMID: 38591037 PMCID: PMC10999674 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1356206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
P1 is a model, temperate bacteriophage of the 94 kb genome. It can lysogenize representatives of the Enterobacterales order. In lysogens, it is maintained as a plasmid. We tested P1 interactions with the biocontrol P. agglomerans L15 strain to explore the utility of P1 in P. agglomerans genome engineering. A P1 derivative carrying the Tn9 (cmR) transposon could transfer a plasmid from Escherichia coli to the L15 cells. The L15 cells infected with this derivative formed chloramphenicol-resistant colonies. They could grow in a liquid medium with chloramphenicol after adaptation and did not contain prophage P1 but the chromosomally inserted cmR marker of P1 Tn9 (cat). The insertions were accompanied by various rearrangements upstream of the Tn9 cat gene promoter and the loss of IS1 (IS1L) from the corresponding region. Sequence analysis of the L15 strain genome revealed a chromosome and three plasmids of 0.58, 0.18, and 0.07 Mb. The largest and the smallest plasmid appeared to encode partition and replication incompatibility determinants similar to those of prophage P1, respectively. In the L15 derivatives cured of the largest plasmid, P1 with Tn9 could not replace the smallest plasmid even if selected. However, it could replace the smallest and the largest plasmid of L15 if its Tn9 IS1L sequence driving the Tn9 mobility was inactivated or if it was enriched with an immobile kanamycin resistance marker. Moreover, it could develop lytically in the L15 derivatives cured of both these plasmids. Clearly, under conditions of selection for P1, the mobility of the P1 selective marker determines whether or not the incoming P1 can outcompete the incompatible L15 resident plasmids. Our results demonstrate that P. agglomerans can serve as a host for bacteriophage P1 and can be engineered with the help of this phage. They also provide an example of how antibiotics can modify the outcome of horizontal gene transfer in natural environments. Numerous plasmids of Pantoea strains appear to contain determinants of replication or partition incompatibility with P1. Therefore, P1 with an immobile selective marker may be a tool of choice in curing these strains from the respective plasmids to facilitate their functional analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Giermasińska-Buczek
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW-WULS), Warsaw, Poland
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jan Gawor
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Emil Stefańczyk
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Urszula Gągała
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW-WULS), Warsaw, Poland
| | - Karolina Żuchniewicz
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Hanna Rekosz-Burlaga
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW-WULS), Warsaw, Poland
| | - Robert Gromadka
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Łobocka
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
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Letarov AV. Bacterial Virus Forcing of Bacterial O-Antigen Shields: Lessons from Coliphages. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17390. [PMID: 38139217 PMCID: PMC10743462 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242417390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
In most Gram-negative bacteria, outer membrane (OM) lipopolysaccharide (LPS) molecules carry long polysaccharide chains known as the O antigens or O polysaccharides (OPS). The OPS structure varies highly from strain to strain, with more than 188 O serotypes described in E. coli. Although many bacteriophages recognize OPS as their primary receptors, these molecules can also screen OM proteins and other OM surface receptors from direct interaction with phage receptor-binding proteins (RBP). In this review, I analyze the body of evidence indicating that most of the E. coli OPS types robustly shield cells completely, preventing phage access to the OM surface. This shield not only blocks virulent phages but also restricts the acquisition of prophages. The available data suggest that OPS-mediated OM shielding is not merely one of many mechanisms of bacterial resistance to phages. Rather, it is an omnipresent factor significantly affecting the ecology, phage-host co-evolution and other related processes in E. coli and probably in many other species of Gram-negative bacteria. The phages, in turn, evolved multiple mechanisms to break through the OPS layer. These mechanisms rely on the phage RBPs recognizing the OPS or on using alternative receptors exposed above the OPS layer. The data allow one to forward the interpretation that, regardless of the type of receptors used, primary receptor recognition is always followed by the generation of a mechanical force driving the phage tail through the OPS layer. This force may be created by molecular motors of enzymatically active tail spikes or by virion structural re-arrangements at the moment of infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey V Letarov
- Winogradsky Institute of Micrbiology, Research Center Fundamentals of Biotechnology RAS, pr. 60-letiya Oktyabrya 7 bld. 2, Moscow 117312, Russia
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Wang X, Zhou N, Wang B. Bacterial synthetic biology: tools for novel drug discovery. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2023; 18:1087-1097. [PMID: 37482696 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2023.2239704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Bacterial synthetic biology has provided powerful tools to revolutionize the drug discovery process. These tools can be harnessed to generate bacterial novel pharmaceutical compounds with enhanced bioactivity and selectivity or to create genetically modified microorganisms as living drugs. AREAS COVERED This review provides a current overview of the state-of-the-art in bacterial synthetic biology tools for novel drug discovery. The authors discuss the application of these tools including bioinformatic tools, CRISPR tools, engineered bacterial transcriptional regulators, and synthetic biosensors for novel drug discovery. Additionally, the authors present the recent progress on reprogramming bacteriophages as living drugs to fight against antibiotic-resistant pathogens. EXPERT OPINION The field of using bacterial synthetic biology tools for drug discovery is rapidly advancing. However, challenges remain in developing reliable and robust methods to engineer bacteria. Further advancements in synthetic biology hold promise to speed up drug discovery, facilitating the development of novel therapeutics against various diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiyan Wang
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering & ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Nan Zhou
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering & ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Baojun Wang
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering & ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Research Center of Biological Computation, Zhejiang Laboratory, Hangzhou, China
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Huan YW, Torraca V, Brown R, Fa-arun J, Miles SL, Oyarzún DA, Mostowy S, Wang B. P1 Bacteriophage-Enabled Delivery of CRISPR-Cas9 Antimicrobial Activity Against Shigella flexneri. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:709-721. [PMID: 36802585 PMCID: PMC10028697 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.2c00465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
Abstract
The discovery of clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and the Cas9 RNA-guided nuclease provides unprecedented opportunities to selectively kill specific populations or species of bacteria. However, the use of CRISPR-Cas9 to clear bacterial infections in vivo is hampered by the inefficient delivery of cas9 genetic constructs into bacterial cells. Here, we use a broad-host-range P1-derived phagemid to deliver the CRISPR-Cas9 chromosomal-targeting system into Escherichia coli and the dysentery-causing Shigella flexneri to achieve DNA sequence-specific killing of targeted bacterial cells. We show that genetic modification of the helper P1 phage DNA packaging site (pac) significantly enhances the purity of packaged phagemid and improves the Cas9-mediated killing of S. flexneri cells. We further demonstrate that P1 phage particles can deliver chromosomal-targeting cas9 phagemids into S. flexneri in vivo using a zebrafish larvae infection model, where they significantly reduce the bacterial load and promote host survival. Our study highlights the potential of combining P1 bacteriophage-based delivery with the CRISPR chromosomal-targeting system to achieve DNA sequence-specific cell lethality and efficient clearance of bacterial infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang W. Huan
- School
of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, U.K.
| | - Vincenzo Torraca
- Department
of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, U.K.
- School
of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, London W1B 2HW, U.K.
| | - Russell Brown
- School
of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, U.K.
| | - Jidapha Fa-arun
- School
of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, U.K.
| | - Sydney L. Miles
- Department
of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, U.K.
| | - Diego A. Oyarzún
- School
of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, U.K.
- School
of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AB, U.K.
| | - Serge Mostowy
- Department
of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, U.K.
| | - Baojun Wang
- College
of Chemical and Biological Engineering & ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific
and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang
University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Research
Center for Biological Computation, Zhejiang
Laboratory, Hangzhou 311100, China
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Fa-Arun J, Huan YW, Darmon E, Wang B. Tail-Engineered Phage P2 Enables Delivery of Antimicrobials into Multiple Gut Pathogens. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:596-607. [PMID: 36731126 PMCID: PMC9942202 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.2c00615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Bacteriophages can be reprogrammed to deliver antimicrobials for therapeutic and biocontrol purposes and are a promising alternative treatment to antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. Here, we developed a bacteriophage P4 cosmid system for the delivery of a Cas9 antimicrobial into clinically relevant human gut pathogens Shigella flexneri and Escherichia coli O157:H7. Our P4 cosmid design produces a high titer of cosmid-transducing units without contamination by a helper phage. Further, we demonstrate that genetic engineering of the phage tail fiber improves the transduction efficiency of cosmid DNA in S. flexneri M90T as well as allows recognition of a nonnative host, E. coli O157:H7. We show that the transducing units with the chimeric tails enhanced the overall Cas9-mediated killing of both pathogens. This study demonstrates the potential of our P4 cas9 cosmid system as a DNA sequence-specific antimicrobial against clinically relevant gut pathogenic bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jidapha Fa-Arun
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, United Kingdom
| | - Yang Wei Huan
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, United Kingdom
| | - Elise Darmon
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, United Kingdom
| | - Baojun Wang
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering & ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, United Kingdom.,Research Center for Biological Computation, Zhejiang Laboratory, Hangzhou 311100, China
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Huan YW, Brown R, Wang B. An adenine/thymidine-rich region is integral to RepL-mediated DNA replication. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1095671. [PMID: 36846746 PMCID: PMC9948254 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1095671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The lytic replication of bacteriophage P1 requires RepL expression and the lytic stage origin, oriL, which is postulated to be located within repL gene sequence. The exact sequence of P1 oriL and the mechanism(s) of RepL-mediated DNA replication, however, are not fully understood. By using repL gene expression to induce DNA replication of a gfp and a rfp reporter plasmids, we demonstrated that synonymous base substitution in an adenine/thymidine-rich region of repL gene sequence, termed AT2, significantly inhibited the RepL-mediated signal amplification. Contrastingly, mutations in an IHF and two DnaA binding sites did not affect the RepL-mediated signal amplification significantly. A truncated repL sequence with the AT2 region allowed RepL-mediated signal amplification in trans therefore verifying a significant role of the AT2 region in RepL-mediated DNA replication. A combination of repL gene expression and a non-protein-coding copy of repL gene sequence (termed nc-repL) was able to amplify the output of an arsenic biosensor. Furthermore, mutation(s) at single or multiple positions within the AT2 region produced varying levels of RepL-mediated signal amplification. Overall, our results provide novel insights into the identity and location of P1 oriL as well as demonstrating the potential of using repL constructs to amplify and modulate the output of genetic biosensors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Wei Huan
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Russell Brown
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Baojun Wang
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering & ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Research Center for Biological Computation, Zhejiang Laboratory, Hangzhou, China
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