1
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Guo Y, Tang K, Sit B, Gu J, Chen R, Shao X, Lin S, Huang Z, Nie Z, Lin J, Liu X, Wang W, Gao X, Liu T, Liu F, Luo HR, Waldor MK, Wang X. Control of lysogeny and antiphage defense by a prophage-encoded kinase-phosphatase module. Nat Commun 2024; 15:7244. [PMID: 39174532 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51617-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 08/12/2024] [Indexed: 08/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The filamentous 'Pf' bacteriophages of Pseudomonas aeruginosa play roles in biofilm formation and virulence, but mechanisms governing Pf prophage activation in biofilms are unclear. Here, we identify a prophage regulatory module, KKP (kinase-kinase-phosphatase), that controls virion production of co-resident Pf prophages and mediates host defense against diverse lytic phages. KKP consists of Ser/Thr kinases PfkA and PfkB, and phosphatase PfpC. The kinases have multiple host targets, one of which is MvaU, a host nucleoid-binding protein and known prophage-silencing factor. Characterization of KKP deletion and overexpression strains with transcriptional, protein-level and prophage-based approaches indicates that shifts in the balance between kinase and phosphatase activities regulate phage production by controlling MvaU phosphorylation. In addition, KKP acts as a tripartite toxin-antitoxin system that provides defense against some lytic phages. A conserved lytic phage replication protein inhibits the KKP phosphatase PfpC, stimulating toxic kinase activity and blocking lytic phage production. Thus, KKP represents a phosphorylation-based mechanism for prophage regulation and antiphage defense. The conservation of KKP gene clusters in >1000 diverse temperate prophages suggests that integrated control of temperate and lytic phage infection by KKP-like regulatory modules may play a widespread role in shaping host cell physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunxue Guo
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Kaihao Tang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
| | - Brandon Sit
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jiayu Gu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ran Chen
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
| | - Xinqi Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, CAMS Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Hematological Disease Treatment Related Infection, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Shituan Lin
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zixian Huang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhaolong Nie
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jianzhong Lin
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Liu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
| | - Weiquan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xinyu Gao
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Tianlang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, CAMS Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Hematological Disease Treatment Related Infection, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Hongbo R Luo
- Boston Children's Hospital, Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Matthew K Waldor
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Xiaoxue Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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Johno D, Zhang Y, Mohammadi TN, Zhao J, Lin Y, Wang C, Lu Y, Abdelaziz MNS, Maung AT, Lin CY, El-Telbany M, Lwin SZC, Damaso CH, Masuda Y, Honjoh KI, Miyamoto T. Characterization of selected phages for biocontrol of food-spoilage pseudomonads. Int Microbiol 2024; 27:1333-1344. [PMID: 38206524 DOI: 10.1007/s10123-023-00479-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Pseudomonas spp., such as P. fluorescens group, P. fragi, and P. putida, are the major psychrophilic spoilage bacteria in the food industry. Bacteriophages (phages) are a promising tool for controlling food-spoilage and food-poisoning bacteria; however, there are few reports on phages effective on food-spoilage bacteria such as Pseudomonas spp. In this study, 12 Pseudomonas phages were isolated from chicken and soil samples. Based on the host range and lytic activity at 30 °C and 4 °C and various combinations of phages, phages vB_PflP-PCS4 and vB_PflP-PCW2 were selected to prepare phage cocktails to control Pseudomonas spp. The phage cocktail consisting of vB_PflP-PCS4 and vB_PflP-PCW2 showed the strongest lytic activity and retarded regrowth of P. fluorescens and P. putida at 30 °C, 8 °C, and 4 °C at a multiplicity of infection of 100. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the genomic DNA indicated that vB_PflP-PCS4 and vB_PflP-PCW2 phages were lytic phages of the Podoviridae family and lacked tRNA, toxin, or virulence genes. A novel endolysin gene was found in the genomic DNA of phage vB_PflP-PCS4. The results of this study suggest that the phage cocktail consisting of vB_PflP-PCS4 and vB_PflP-PCW2 is a promising tool for the biocontrol of psychrophilic food-spoilage pseudomonads during cold storage and distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke Johno
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-Ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Yu Zhang
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-Ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Tahir Noor Mohammadi
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-Ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Junxin Zhao
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-Ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330047, China
| | - Yunzhi Lin
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-Ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Chen Wang
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-Ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Yuan Lu
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-Ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Marwa Nabil Sayed Abdelaziz
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-Ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Aye Thida Maung
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-Ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Chen-Yu Lin
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-Ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Mohamed El-Telbany
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-Ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Su Zar Chi Lwin
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-Ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Catherine Hofilena Damaso
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-Ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Yoshimitsu Masuda
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-Ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichi Honjoh
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-Ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Takahisa Miyamoto
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-Ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan.
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3
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Wang D, Shang J, Lin H, Liang J, Wang C, Sun Y, Bai Y, Qu J. Identifying ARG-carrying bacteriophages in a lake replenished by reclaimed water using deep learning techniques. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 248:120859. [PMID: 37976954 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 09/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
As important mobile genetic elements, phages support the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Previous analyses of metaviromes or metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) failed to assess the extent of ARGs transferred by phages, particularly in the generation of antibiotic pathogens. Therefore, we have developed a bioinformatic pipeline that utilizes deep learning techniques to identify ARG-carrying phages and predict their hosts, with a special focus on pathogens. Using this method, we discovered that the predominant types of ARGs carried by temperate phages in a typical landscape lake, which is fully replenished by reclaimed water, were related to multidrug resistance and β-lactam antibiotics. MAGs containing virulent factors (VFs) were predicted to serve as hosts for these ARG-carrying phages, which suggests that the phages may have the potential to transfer ARGs. In silico analysis showed a significant positive correlation between temperate phages and host pathogens (R = 0.503, p < 0.001), which was later confirmed by qPCR. Interestingly, these MAGs were found to be more abundant than those containing both ARGs and VFs, especially in December and March. Seasonal variations were observed in the abundance of phages harboring ARGs (from 5.62 % to 21.02 %) and chromosomes harboring ARGs (from 18.01 % to 30.94 %). In contrast, the abundance of plasmids harboring ARGs remained unchanged. In summary, this study leverages deep learning to analyze phage-transferred ARGs and demonstrates an alternative method to track the production of potential antibiotic-resistant pathogens by metagenomics that can be extended to microbiological risk assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donglin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Jiayu Shang
- Department of Electrical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Hui Lin
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Jinsong Liang
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Chenchen Wang
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin 300384, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science and Technology, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin 300384, China
| | - Yanni Sun
- Department of Electrical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Yaohui Bai
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
| | - Jiuhui Qu
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
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4
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Wang C, Zhao J, Lin Y, Yuan L, El-Telbany M, Maung AT, Abdelaziz MNS, Masuda Y, Honjoh KI, Miyamoto T. Isolation, characterization of Enterococcus phages and their application in control of E. faecalis in milk. J Appl Microbiol 2023; 134:lxad250. [PMID: 37944001 DOI: 10.1093/jambio/lxad250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 09/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
AIMS Isolation and characterization of Enterococcus phages and application of phage cocktail to control E. faecalis in milk. METHODS AND RESULTS For phage isolations, double layer agar method was used. Host range of the phages were determined by the spot test. Twelve phages with varying host ranges were isolated. Phages PEF1, PEF7b, and PEF9 with different host ranges and lytic activities were selected for phage cocktails. Compared to two-phages cocktails tested, the cocktail containing all the three phages displayed stronger antibacterial and biofilm removal activities. The cocktail treatment reduced viable E. faecalis in biofilm by 6 log within 6 h at both 30°C and 4°C. In milk, the cocktail gradually reduced the viable count of E. faecalis and the count reached below the lower limit of detection at 48 h at 4°C. CONCLUSION The strong bactericidal and biofilm removal activities of the phage cocktail suggest the potential of this cocktail as a natural biocontrol agent for combating E. faecalis in milk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Wang
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Junxin Zhao
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330047, China
| | - Yunzhi Lin
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Lu Yuan
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Mohamed El-Telbany
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Aye Thida Maung
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Marwa Nabil Sayed Abdelaziz
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Yoshimitsu Masuda
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichi Honjoh
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Takahisa Miyamoto
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
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5
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Wong S, Jimenez S, Slavcev RA. Construction and characterization of a novel miniaturized filamentous phagemid for targeted mammalian gene transfer. Microb Cell Fact 2023; 22:124. [PMID: 37430278 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-023-02135-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND As simplistic proteinaceous carriers of genetic material, phages offer great potential as targeted vectors for mammalian transgene delivery. The filamentous phage M13 is a single-stranded DNA phage with attractive characteristics for gene delivery, including a theoretically unlimited DNA carrying capacity, amenability to tropism modification via phage display, and a well-characterized genome that is easy to genetically modify. The bacterial backbone in gene transfer plasmids consists of elements only necessary for amplification in prokaryotes, and, as such, are superfluous in the mammalian cell. These problematic elements include antibiotic resistance genes, which can disseminate antibiotic resistance, and CpG motifs, which are inflammatory in animals and can lead to transgene silencing. RESULTS Here, we examined how M13-based phagemids could be improved for transgene delivery by removing the bacterial backbone. A transgene cassette was flanked by isolated initiation and termination elements from the phage origin of replication. Phage proteins provided in trans by a helper would replicate only the cassette, without any bacterial backbone. The rescue efficiency of "miniphagemids" from these split origins was equal to, if not greater than, isogenic "full phagemids" arising from intact origins. The type of cassette encoded by the miniphagemid as well as the choice of host strain constrained the efficiency of phagemid rescue. CONCLUSIONS The use of two separated domains of the f1 ori improves upon a single wildtype origin while still resulting in high titres of miniphagemid gene transfer vectors. Highly pure lysates of miniaturized phagemids could be rapidly obtained in a straightforward procedure without additional downstream processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shirley Wong
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada.
| | - Salma Jimenez
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
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Jirwankar Y, Dighe V. Identification and validation of Sertoli cell homing peptides as molecular steering for testis targeted drug delivery. J Drug Target 2023; 31:390-401. [PMID: 36604336 DOI: 10.1080/1061186x.2022.2164007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The testicle, an organ privileged with immunity because of Blood-Testis Barrier (BTB), poses a major impediment to developing and delivering drugs to the testes. These problems can be prevented by targeting testicular cells using specific ligands, such as homing peptides. This is the first study to demonstrate the successful selection of Sertoli cell homing peptides using a phage display peptide library. The identification of peptides is performed with Sanger sequencing and high-throughput NGS. The Sertoli cell and testis targeting potential of the SCHP1 and SCHP2 was confirmed using confocal microscopy and flow cytometry of the FITC-labelled peptides and in vivo bio-distribution of the corresponding Cy5.5-tagged peptides. Secondary structures were predicted in the setting of different polarity by circular dichroism. The results suggest that SCHP1 and SCHP2 can effectively target Sertoli cells. In vivo bio-distribution in mouse models indicated significantly higher uptake of SCHP1 and SCHP2 by testes compared with the heart, brain, and spleen. SCHP1 and SCHP2 can be adopted as molecular steering for targeted male contraceptive delivery, treatment of testicular cancer, and male infertility. Further development of the peptides into peptidomimetics may increase their stability, and information on the molecular targets of these peptides may reveal their therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yugandhara Jirwankar
- National Centre for Preclinical Reproductive and Genetic Toxicology, ICMR - National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health, Mumbai, India
| | - Vikas Dighe
- National Centre for Preclinical Reproductive and Genetic Toxicology, ICMR - National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health, Mumbai, India
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7
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Yuan S, Shi J, Jiang J, Ma Y. Genome-scale top-down strategy to generate viable genome-reduced phages. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:13183-13197. [PMID: 36511873 PMCID: PMC9825161 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac1168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Efforts have been made to reduce the genomes of living cells, but phage genome reduction remains challenging. It is of great interest to investigate whether genome reduction can make phages obtain new infectious properties. We developed a CRISPR/Cas9-based iterative phage genome reduction (CiPGr) approach and applied this to four distinct phages, thereby obtaining heterogeneous genome-reduced mutants. We isolated and sequenced 200 mutants with loss of up to 8-23% (3.3-35 kbp) of the original sequences. This allowed the identification of non-essential genes for phage propagation, although loss of these genes is mostly detrimental to phage fitness to various degrees. Notwithstanding this, mutants with higher infectious efficiency than their parental strains were characterized, indicating a trade-off between genome reduction and infectious fitness for phages. In conclusion, this study provides a foundation for future work to leverage the information generated by CiPGr in phage synthetic biology research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengjian Yuan
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics, CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Juan Shi
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics, CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Jianrong Jiang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics, CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yingfei Ma
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +86 755 8639 2674;
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8
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Wu Y, Liu S, Liu Z, Liu B, Du B, Tong Z, Xu J. A new method for quantitative analysis of M13 bacteriophage by atomic force microscopy. Synth Syst Biotechnol 2022; 7:1066-1072. [PMID: 35891946 PMCID: PMC9293941 DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2022.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantitative analysis is essential for virus research, especially in determining the virus titer. The classical method plaque assay is time-consuming, complex, and difficult for the phages that cannot form apparent plaque on the solid medium. In order to realize rapid and effective detection, a new method combining atomic force microscopy (AFM) observation and mathematical calculation is established. In this research, M13 phages with an appropriate dilution ratio were observed and counted by AFM. Based on the counting results, the titer of M13 phages can be calculated simply through mathematical substitution. Instead of cultivating overnight in plaque assay, this new method can be implemented within a few hours. Moreover, it is a method that can achieve visualization for titer determination and have the potential to determine the phages that fail to form apparent plaque, which is significant in virus quantitative assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuting Wu
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing, 102205, China
| | - Shuai Liu
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing, 102205, China
| | - Zhiwei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing, 102205, China
| | - Bing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing, 102205, China
| | - Bin Du
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing, 102205, China
| | - Zhaoyang Tong
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing, 102205, China
| | - Jianjie Xu
- State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing, 102205, China
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9
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Filamentous Pseudomonas Phage Pf4 in the Context of Therapy-Inducibility, Infectivity, Lysogenic Conversion, and Potential Application. Viruses 2022; 14:v14061261. [PMID: 35746731 PMCID: PMC9228429 DOI: 10.3390/v14061261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2022] [Revised: 05/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
More than 20% of all Pseudomonas aeruginosa are infected with Pf4-related filamentous phage and although their role in virulence of P. aeruginosa strain PAO1 is well documented, its properties related to therapy are not elucidated in detail. The aim of this study was to determine how phage and antibiotic therapy induce Pf4, whether the released virions can infect other strains and how the phage influences the phenotype of new hosts. The subinhibitory concentrations of ciprofloxacin and mitomycin C increased Pf4 production for more than 50% during the first and sixth hour of exposure, respectively, while mutants appearing after infection with obligatory lytic phage at low MOI produced Pf4 more than four times after 12–24 h of treatment. This indicates that production of Pf4 is enhanced during therapy with these agents. The released virions can infect new P. aeruginosa strains, as confirmed for models UCBPP-PA14 (PA14) and LESB58, existing both episomally and in a form of a prophage, as confirmed by PCR, RFLP, and sequencing. The differences in properties of Pf4-infected, and uninfected PA14 and LESB58 strains were obvious, as infection with Pf4 significantly decreased cell autoaggregation, pyoverdine, and pyocyanin production, while significantly increased swimming motility and biofilm production in both strains. In addition, in strain PA14, Pf4 increased cell surface hydrophobicity and small colony variants’ appearance, but also decreased twitching and swarming motility. This indicates that released Pf4 during therapy can infect new strains and cause lysogenic conversion. The infection with Pf4 increased LESB58 sensitivity to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, ceftazidime, tetracycline, and streptomycin, and PA14 to ciprofloxacin and ceftazidime. Moreover, the Pf4-infected LESB58 was re-sensitized to ceftazidime and tetracycline, with changes from resistant to intermediate resistant and sensitive, respectively. The obtained results open a new field in phage therapy—treatment with selected filamentous phages in order to re-sensitize pathogenic bacteria to certain antibiotics. However, this approach should be considered with precautions, taking into account potential lysogenic conversion.
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10
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Luo J, Liu M, Wang P, Li Q, Luo C, Wei H, Hu Y, Yu J. Evaluation of a direct phage DNA detection-based Taqman qPCR methodology for quantification of phage and its application in rapid ultrasensitive identification of Acinetobacter baumannii. BMC Infect Dis 2022; 22:523. [PMID: 35672689 PMCID: PMC9172196 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-022-07493-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Rapid phage enumeration/quantitation and viable bacteria determination is critical for phage application and treatment of infectious patients caused by the pathogenic bacteria. Methods In the current study, a direct phage DNA detection-based Taqman qPCR methodology for quantification of phage P53 and rapid ultrasensitive identification of Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) was evaluated. Results The assay was capable of quantifying P53 phage DNA without DNA extraction and the detection limit of the assay was 550 PFU/mL. The agreement bias between the quantitative results of three different phage concentrations in this assay and double agar overlay plaque assay were under 3.38%. Through the built detection system, down to 1 log CFU/mL of viable A. baumannii can be detected within 4 h in A. baumannii spiked swab and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples. Compared with the Taqman qPCR that targets the conserved sequence of A. baumannii, the sensitivity of the assay built in this study could increase four orders of magnitude. Conclusions The methodology offers a valid alternative for enumeration of freshly prepared phage solution and diagnosis of bacterial infection caused by A. baumannii or other bacterial infection in complicated samples through switching to phages against other bacteria. Furthermore, the assay could offer drug adjustment strategy timely owing to the detection of bacteria vitality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Luo
- The First College of Clinical Medical Science, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China. .,Central Laboratory, The First College of Clinical Medical Science, China Three Gorges University and Yichang Central People's Hospital, Yichang, 443003, China. .,Yichang Central People's Hospital, Yichang, China.
| | - Min Liu
- The First College of Clinical Medical Science, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China.,Yichang Central People's Hospital, Yichang, China
| | - Peng Wang
- The First College of Clinical Medical Science, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China.,Yichang Central People's Hospital, Yichang, China
| | - Qianyuan Li
- The First College of Clinical Medical Science, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China.,Yichang Central People's Hospital, Yichang, China
| | - Chunhua Luo
- The First College of Clinical Medical Science, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China.,Yichang Central People's Hospital, Yichang, China
| | - Hongping Wei
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, Hubei, China
| | - Yuanyuan Hu
- Medical College, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, 443002, China.
| | - Junping Yu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, Hubei, China.
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11
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Wang D, Wang S, Du X, He Q, Liu Y, Wang Z, Feng K, Li Y, Deng Y. ddPCR surpasses classical qPCR technology in quantitating bacteria and fungi in the environment. Mol Ecol Resour 2022; 22:2587-2598. [PMID: 35587727 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) has been widely used in quantifying bacterial and fungal populations in various ecosystems, as well as the fungi to bacteria ratio (F:B ratio). Recently, researchers have begun to apply droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) to this area, however, no study has systematically compared qPCR and ddPCR for quantitating both bacteria and fungi in environmental samples at the same time. Here, we designed probe-primer pair combinations targeting the 16S rRNA gene and Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) for the detection of bacteria and fungi respectively, and tested both SYBR Green and TaqMan approaches in qPCR and ddPCR methods for mock communities and in real environmental samples. In mock communities, the quantification results of ddPCR were significantly closer to expected values (P < 0.05), and had smaller coefficients of variations (P < 0.05) than qPCR, suggesting ddPCR was more accurate and repeatable. In environmental samples, ddPCR consistently quantified ITS and 16S rRNA gene concentrations in all four habitats without abnormal overestimation or underestimation, and the F:B ratio obtained by ddPCR was consistent with phospholipid fatty acid analysis. Our results indicated that ddPCR had better precision, repeatability, sensitivity, and stability in bacterial and fungal quantitation than qPCR. Although ddPCR has high cost, complicated processes and restricted detection range, it shows insensitivity to PCR inhibitors and the potential of quantifying long target fragments. We expect that ddPCR, which is complementary to qPCR, will contribute to microbial quantification in environmental monitoring and evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danrui Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shang Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiongfeng Du
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qing He
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yue Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhujun Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Kai Feng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Ye Deng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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12
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Zheng H, Liu B, Xu Y, Zhang Z, Man H, Liu J, Chen F. An Inducible Microbacterium Prophage vB_MoxS-R1 Represents a Novel Lineage of Siphovirus. Viruses 2022; 14:v14040731. [PMID: 35458461 PMCID: PMC9030533 DOI: 10.3390/v14040731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Lytic and lysogenic infections are the main strategies used by viruses to interact with microbial hosts. The genetic information of prophages provides insights into the nature of phages and their potential influences on hosts. Here, the siphovirus vB_MoxS-R1 was induced from a Microbacterium strain isolated from an estuarine Synechococcus culture. vB_MoxS-R1 has a high replication capability, with an estimated burst size of 2000 virions per cell. vB_MoxS-R1 represents a novel phage genus-based genomic analysis. Six transcriptional regulator (TR) genes were predicted in the vB_MoxS-R1 genome. Four of these TR genes are involved in stress responses, virulence and amino acid transportation in bacteria, suggesting that they may play roles in regulating the host cell metabolism in response to external environmental changes. A glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase gene related to phosphorus acquisition was also identified in the vB_MoxS-R1 genome. The presence of six TR genes and the phosphorus-acquisition gene suggests that prophage vB_MoxS-R1 has the potential to influence survival and adaptation of its host during lysogeny. Possession of four endonuclease genes in the prophage genome suggests that vB_MoxS-R1 is likely involved in DNA recombination or gene conversion and further influences host evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongrui Zheng
- Institute of Marine Science and Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266000, China; (H.Z.); (B.L.); (Z.Z.); (H.M.)
| | - Binbin Liu
- Institute of Marine Science and Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266000, China; (H.Z.); (B.L.); (Z.Z.); (H.M.)
| | - Yongle Xu
- Institute of Marine Science and Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266000, China; (H.Z.); (B.L.); (Z.Z.); (H.M.)
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Marine Carbon Sequestration, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361000, China
- Correspondence: (Y.X.); (J.L.)
| | - Zefeng Zhang
- Institute of Marine Science and Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266000, China; (H.Z.); (B.L.); (Z.Z.); (H.M.)
| | - Hongcong Man
- Institute of Marine Science and Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266000, China; (H.Z.); (B.L.); (Z.Z.); (H.M.)
| | - Jihua Liu
- Institute of Marine Science and Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266000, China; (H.Z.); (B.L.); (Z.Z.); (H.M.)
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519000, China
- Joint Laboratory for Ocean Research and Education at Dalhousie University, Shandong University and Xiamen University, Qingdao 266237, China
- Correspondence: (Y.X.); (J.L.)
| | - Feng Chen
- Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA;
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Kamstrup Sell D, Sloth AB, Bakhshinejad B, Kjaer A. A White Plaque, Associated with Genomic Deletion, Derived from M13KE-Based Peptide Library Is Enriched in a Target-Unrelated Manner during Phage Display Biopanning Due to Propagation Advantage. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23063308. [PMID: 35328728 PMCID: PMC8950111 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23063308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The nonspecific enrichment of target-unrelated peptides during biopanning remains a major drawback for phage display technology. The commercial Ph.D.TM-7 phage display library is used extensively for peptide discovery. This library is based on the M13KE vector, which carries the lacZα sequence, leading to the formation of blue plaques on IPTG-X-gal agar plates. In the current study, we report the isolation of a fast-propagating white clone (displaying WSLGYTG peptide) identified through screening against a recombinant protein. Sanger sequencing demonstrated that white plaques are not contamination from environmental M13-like phages, but derive from the library itself. Whole genome sequencing revealed that the white color of the plaques results from a large 827-nucleotide genomic deletion. The phenotypic characterization of propagation capacity through plaque count- and NGS-based competitive propagation assay supported the higher propagation rate of Ph-WSLGYTG clone compared with the library. According to our data, white plaques are likely to arise endogenously in Ph.D. libraries due to mutations in the M13KE genome and should not always be viewed as exogenous contamination. Our findings also led to the conclusion that the deletion observed here might be an ancestral mutation already present in the naïve library, which causes target-unrelated nonspecific enrichment of white clone during biopanning due to propagation advantage.
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14
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Wisuthiphaet N, Yang X, Young GM, Nitin N. Quantitative Imaging of Bacteriophage Amplification for Rapid Detection of Bacteria in Model Foods. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:853048. [PMID: 35308341 PMCID: PMC8931685 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.853048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid detection of bacteria in water and food samples is a critical need. The current molecular methods like real-time PCR can provide rapid detection after initial enrichment. However, these methods require significant preparation steps, specialized facilities to reduce contamination, and relatively expensive reagents. This study evaluates a novel approach for detecting bacteria based on imaging of bacteriophage amplification upon infection of the target host bacteria to mitigate some of these constraints and improve the specificity of discriminating live vs. dead bacteria. Thus, this research leverages the natural ability of lytic bacteriophages to rapidly amplify their genetic material and generate progeny phages upon infecting the host bacterium. This study uses a nucleic acid staining dye, a conventional fluorescence microscope, and quantitative image analysis for imaging the amplification of bacteriophages. The sensitivity and assay time for imaging-based quantification of phage amplification for detecting Escherichia coli were compared with RT-PCR and the standard plaque-forming assay for detection phage amplification in model systems, including coconut water and spinach wash water. The results demonstrate that the imaging approach matches both the sensitivity and speed for detecting E. coli using the RT-PCR method without requiring isolation of nucleic acids, expensive reagents, and specialized facilities. The quantitative imaging results demonstrate the detection of 10 CFU/ml of E. coli in coconut water and simulated spinach wash water with a chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 3,000 ppm within 8 h, including initial enrichment of the bacteria. In summary, the results of this study illustrate a novel phage amplification-based approach for detecting target bacteria in complex food and water samples using simple sample preparation methods and low-cost reagents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicharee Wisuthiphaet
- Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Xu Yang
- Nutrition and Food Science Department, California State Polytechnic University Pomona, Pomona, CA, United States
| | - Glenn M. Young
- Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Nitin Nitin
- Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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15
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Construction of Leaderless-Bacteriocin-Producing Bacteriophage Targeting E. coli and Neighboring Gram-Positive Pathogens. Microbiol Spectr 2021; 9:e0014121. [PMID: 34259542 PMCID: PMC8552711 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00141-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Lytic bacteriophages are expected as effective tools to control infectious bacteria in human and pathogenic or spoilage bacteria in foods. Leaderless bacteriocins (LLBs) are simple bacteriocins produced by Gram-positive bacteria. LLBs do not possess an N-terminal leader peptide in the precursor, which means that they are active immediately after translation. In this study, we constructed a novel antimicrobial agent, an LLB-producing phage (LLB-phage), by genetic engineering to introduce the LLB structural gene into the lytic phage genome. To this end, lnqQ (structure gene of an LLB, lacticin Q) and trxA, an essential gene for T7 phage genome replication, were integrated in tandem into T7 phage genome using homologous recombination in Escherichia coli host strain. The recombinant lnqQ-T7 phage was isolated by a screening method using ΔtrxA host strain. lnqQ-T7 phage formed a clear halo in agar plates containing both E. coli and lacticin Q-susceptible Bacillus coagulans, indicating that lnqQ-T7 phage could produce a significant amount of lacticin Q. Lacticin Q production did not exert a significant effect on the lytic cycle of T7 phage. In fact, the production of lacticin Q enhanced T7 phage lytic activity and helped to prevent the emergence of bacterial populations resistant against this phage. These results serve as a proof of principle for LLB-phages. There are different types of LLBs and phages, meaning that in the future, it may be possible to produce any number of LLB-phages which can be designed to efficiently control different types of bacterial contamination in different settings. IMPORTANCE We demonstrated that we could combine LLB and phage to construct promising novel antimicrobial agents, LLB-phage. The first LLB-phage, lnqQ-T7 phage, can control the growth of both the Gram-negative host strain and neighboring Gram-positive bacteria while preventing the emergence of phage resistance in the host strain. There are several different types of LLBs and phages, suggesting that we may be able to design a battery of LLB-phages by selecting novel combinations of LLBs and phages. These constructs could be tailored to control various bacterial contaminations and infectious diseases.
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16
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Chen Y, Wu S, Wu H, Cheng P, Wang X, Qian S, Zhang M, Xu J, Ji F, Wu J. CRISPR/Cas12a-Based Versatile Method for Checking Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction Samples with Cycles of Threshold Values in the Gray Zone. ACS Sens 2021; 6:1963-1970. [PMID: 33973766 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.1c00515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is widely applied in foodborne pathogen detection and diagnosis. According to the cycles of threshold (Ct) values of qPCR testing, samples are judged as positive or negative. However, samples with Ct values in the gray zone are classified as "possibly positive" and required to be tested again. Repetitive qPCR may not eliminate the uncertain results but increase the workload of detection. CRISPR/Cas12a can specifically recognize the nucleic acid of the nM level and then indiscriminately slash the single-strand DNA with multiple turnovers. In this way, the detection signals can be greatly amplified. Here, we propose a CRISPR-based checking method to solve gray zone problems. After qPCR testing, the screening gray zone samples can be successfully checked by the CRISPR/Cas12a method. Furthermore, to conduct CRISPR reaction assay more conveniently and prevent possible aerosol contamination in the operational process, a gray zone checking cassette is designed. African swine fever virus (ASFV) is selected as an example to demonstrate the feasibility of the CRISPR-based checking method. Of 28 real swine blood samples, 6 ASFV qPCR gray zone samples are successfully checked. The CRISPR-based checking method provides a novel solution to eliminate gray zone sample problems with no additional effects on the PCR, which is operable and applicable in practical detection. The entire process can be completed within 10-15 min. This method will be a good supplementary and assistance for qPCR-based detection, especially in the diagnosis of diseases such as COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanju Chen
- College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Shuyue Wu
- The Architectural Design & Research Institute of Zhejiang University Company Ltd., Hangzhou 310028, China
| | - Hui Wu
- College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Peng Cheng
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
| | - Xiaofu Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
| | - Siwenjie Qian
- College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Mengyao Zhang
- College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Junfeng Xu
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
| | - Feng Ji
- The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, China
| | - Jian Wu
- College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Key Laboratory of On Site Processing Equipment for Agricultural Products, Ministry of Agriculture, Hangzhou 310058, China
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17
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Plessers S, Van Deuren V, Lavigne R, Robben J. High-Throughput Sequencing of Phage Display Libraries Reveals Parasitic Enrichment of Indel Mutants Caused by Amplification Bias. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:5513. [PMID: 34073702 PMCID: PMC8197208 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22115513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The combination of phage display technology with high-throughput sequencing enables in-depth analysis of library diversity and selection-driven dynamics. We applied short-read sequencing of the mutagenized region on focused display libraries of two homologous nucleic acid modification eraser proteins-AlkB and FTO-biopanned against methylated DNA. This revealed enriched genotypes with small indels and concomitant doubtful amino acid motifs within the FTO library. Nanopore sequencing of the entire display vector showed additional enrichment of large deletions overlooked by region-specific sequencing, and further impacted the interpretation of the obtained amino acid motifs. We could attribute enrichment of these corrupted clones to amplification bias due to arduous FTO display slowing down host cell growth as well as phage production. This amplification bias appeared to be stronger than affinity-based target selection. Recommendations are provided for proper sequence analysis of phage display data, which can improve motive discovery in libraries of proteins that are difficult to display.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sander Plessers
- Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200G, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium; (S.P.); (V.V.D.)
| | - Vincent Van Deuren
- Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200G, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium; (S.P.); (V.V.D.)
| | - Rob Lavigne
- Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 21, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium;
| | - Johan Robben
- Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200G, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium; (S.P.); (V.V.D.)
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18
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Takeuchi I, Nasukawa T, Sugimoto R, Takemura-Uchiyama I, Murakami H, Uchiyama J. Analyses of propagation processes of Staphylococcus aureus bacteriophages S13' and S25-3 in two different taxonomies by definitive screening design. Virus Res 2021; 298:198406. [PMID: 33798676 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2021.198406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
To introduce phage therapy against multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Western medicine, the establishment of phage manufacturing, particularly phage propagation, is indispensable. For the propagation of S. aureus phages, knowledge of the effects of phage types, process parameters, and analytical methodologies should be investigated. In this study, S. aureus phage propagations were studied in a flask with a new class of design of experiments, definitive screening design, using S. aureus phages S13' and S25-3 in different taxonomies. Four process parameters, namely, multiplicity of infection, bacterial density at infection, time of harvest, and temperature, were evaluated with the regression models based on the phage concentration data measured using plaque assay and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. As a result, phage propagations measured using plaque assay and quantitative polymerase chain reaction were overall similar to each other in the case of phage S13', while they differed in the case of phage S25-3. These results suggest that the propagation processes need to be developed according to phage type, and the choice of methodologies for phage concentration measurements should be carefully considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ippei Takeuchi
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, Kanagawa, Japan
| | | | - Ryosuke Sugimoto
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, Kanagawa, Japan
| | | | | | - Jumpei Uchiyama
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, Kanagawa, Japan.
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19
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Ács N, Gambino M, Brøndsted L. Bacteriophage Enumeration and Detection Methods. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:594868. [PMID: 33193274 PMCID: PMC7644846 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.594868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Application of phages as alternative antimicrobials to combat pathogenic bacteria and their association to a healthy gut microbiome has prompted a need for precise methods for detection and enumeration of phage particles. There are many applicable methods, but care should be taken considering the measured object (infectious phage, whole phage particle or nucleic acid and proteins) and the concept behind the technique to avoid misinterpretations. While molecular methods cannot discriminate between viable and non-infectious phages, the traditional techniques for counting infectious phages can be time consuming and poorly reproducible. Here, we describe the methods currently used for phage detection and enumeration and highlight their advantages as well as their limitations. Finally, we provide insight on how to deal with complex samples, as well as future prospects in the field of phage quantification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norbert Ács
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Michela Gambino
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lone Brøndsted
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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20
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A Proof of Principle for the Detection of Viable Brucella spp. in Raw Milk by qPCR Targeting Bacteriophages. Microorganisms 2020; 8:microorganisms8091326. [PMID: 32878169 PMCID: PMC7565414 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8091326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Brucellosis is still a global health issue, and surveillance and control of this zoonotic disease in livestock remains a challenge. Human outbreaks are mainly linked to the consumption of unpasteurized dairy products. The detection of human pathogenic Brucella species in food of animal origin is time-consuming and laborious. Bacteriophages are broadly applied to the typing of Brucella isolates from pure culture. Since phages intracellularly replicate to very high numbers, they can also be used as specific indicator organisms of their host bacteria. We developed a novel real-time PCR (qPCR) assay targeting the highly conserved helicase sequence harbored in all currently known Brucella-specific lytic phages. Quality and performance tests determined a limit of detection of <1 genomic copy/µL. In raw milk artificially contaminated with Brucella microti, Izv phages were reliably detected after 39 h of incubation, indicating the presence of viable bacteria. The qPCR assay showed high stability in the milk matrix and significantly shortened the time to diagnosis when compared to traditional culture-based techniques. Hence, our molecular assay is a reliable and sensitive method to analyze phage titers, may help to reduce the hands-on time needed for the screening of potentially contaminated food, and reveals infection risks without bacterial isolation.
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21
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Grembi JA, Mayer-Blackwell K, Luby SP, Spormann AM. High-Throughput Multiparallel Enteropathogen Detection via Nano-Liter qPCR. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:351. [PMID: 32766166 PMCID: PMC7381150 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.00351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantitative molecular diagnostic methods can effectively detect pathogen-specific nucleic acid sequences, but costs associated with multi-pathogen panels hinder their widespread use in research trials. Nano-liter qPCR (nL-qPCR) is a miniaturized tool for quantification of multiple targets in large numbers of samples based on assay parallelization on a single chip, with potentially significant cost-savings due to rapid throughput and reduced reagent volumes. We evaluated a suite of novel and published assays to detect 17 enteric pathogens using a commercially available nL-qPCR technology. Amplification efficiencies ranged from 88 to 98% (mean 91%) and were reproducible across four operators at two separate facilities. When applied to fecal material, assays were sensitive and selective (99.8% of DNA amplified were genes from the target organism). Due to nanofluidic volumes, detection limits were 1-2 orders of magnitude less sensitive for nL-qPCR than an enteric TaqMan Array Card (TAC). However, higher detection limits do not hinder detection of diarrhea-causing pathogen concentrations. Compared to TAC, nL-qPCR displayed 99% (95% CI 0.98, 0.99) negative percent agreement and 62% (95% CI 0.59, 0.65) overall positive percent agreement for presence of pathogens across diarrheal and non-diarrheal fecal samples. Positive percent agreement was 89% among samples with concentrations above the nL-qPCR detection limits. nL-qPCR assays showed an underestimation bias of 0.34 log10 copies/gram of stool [IQR -0.40, -0.28] compared with TAC. With 12 times higher throughput for a sixth of the per-sample cost of the enteric TAC, the nL-qPCR chip is a viable alternative for enteropathogen quantification for studies where other technologies are cost-prohibitive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A Grembi
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Koshlan Mayer-Blackwell
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Stephen P Luby
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Alfred M Spormann
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States.,Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
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22
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Leal J, Peng X, Liu X, Arasappan D, Wylie DC, Schwartz SH, Fullmer JJ, McWilliams BC, Smyth HDC, Ghosh D. Peptides as surface coatings of nanoparticles that penetrate human cystic fibrosis sputum and uniformly distribute in vivo following pulmonary delivery. J Control Release 2020; 322:457-469. [PMID: 32243979 DOI: 10.1101/659540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Revised: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Therapeutic delivery of drug and gene delivery systems have to traverse multiple biological barriers to achieve efficacy. Mucosal administration, such as pulmonary delivery in cystic fibrosis (CF) disease, remains a significant challenge due to concentrated viscoelastic mucus, which prevents drugs and particles from penetrating the mucus barrier. To address this problem, we used combinatorial peptide-presenting phage libraries and next-generation sequencing (NGS) to identify hydrophilic, net-neutral charged peptide coatings that enable penetration through human CF mucus ex vivo with ~600-fold better penetration than control, improve uptake into lung epithelial cells compared to uncoated or PEGylated-nanoparticles, and exhibit enhanced uniform distribution and retention in the mouse lung airways. These peptide coatings address multiple delivery barriers and effectively serve as excellent alternatives to standard PEG surface chemistries to achieve mucus penetration and address some of the challenges encountered using these chemistries. This biomolecule-based strategy can address multiple delivery barriers and hold promise to advance efficacy of therapeutics for diseases like CF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmim Leal
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, 2409 University Ave, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Xiujuan Peng
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, 2409 University Ave, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Xinquan Liu
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, 2409 University Ave, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Dhivya Arasappan
- Center for Biomedical Research Support, The University of Texas at Austin, 102 E. 24th Street, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Dennis C Wylie
- Center for Biomedical Research Support, The University of Texas at Austin, 102 E. 24th Street, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Sarah H Schwartz
- Seton Healthcare Family, 11111 Research Blvd Suite 300, Austin, TX 78759, USA
| | - Jason J Fullmer
- Seton Healthcare Family, 11111 Research Blvd Suite 300, Austin, TX 78759, USA
| | - Bennie C McWilliams
- Seton Healthcare Family, 11111 Research Blvd Suite 300, Austin, TX 78759, USA
| | - Hugh D C Smyth
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, 2409 University Ave, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Debadyuti Ghosh
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, 2409 University Ave, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
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23
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Zhang Y, Zhang H, Ghosh D. The Stabilizing Excipients in Dry State Therapeutic Phage Formulations. AAPS PharmSciTech 2020; 21:133. [PMID: 32415395 DOI: 10.1208/s12249-020-01673-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Phage therapy has gained prominence due to the increasing pathogenicity of "super bugs" and the rise of their multidrug resistance to conventional antibiotics. Dry state formulation of therapeutic phage is attractive to improve their "druggability" by increasing their shelf life, improving their ease of handling, and ultimately retaining their long-term potency. The use and selection of excipients are critical to stabilize phage in solid formulations and protect their viability from stresses encountered during the solidification process and long-term storage prior to use. Here, this review focuses on the current classes of excipients used to manufacture dry state phage formulations and their ability to stabilize and protect phage throughout the process, as discussed in the literature. We provide perspective of outstanding challenges involved in the formulation of dry state phage. We suggest strategies to improve excipient identification and selection, optimize the potential excipient combinations to improve phage viability during formulation, and evaluate new methodologies that can provide greater insight into phage-excipient interactions to improve design criteria to improve formulation of dry state phage therapeutics. Addressing these challenges opens up new opportunities to re-design and re-imagine phage formulations for improved efficacy as a pharmaceutical product.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yajie Zhang
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, 2409 University Ave, Stop A1920, Austin, Texas, 78712, USA
- Formulation Development Department, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York, 10591, USA
| | - Hairui Zhang
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, 2409 University Ave, Stop A1920, Austin, Texas, 78712, USA
- Analytical Development Department, Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc., 5000 Marina Blvd., Brisbane, California, 94005, USA
| | - Debadyuti Ghosh
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, 2409 University Ave, Stop A1920, Austin, Texas, 78712, USA.
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24
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Miller SM, Wang T, Randolph PB, Arbab M, Shen MW, Huang TP, Matuszek Z, Newby GA, Rees HA, Liu DR. Continuous evolution of SpCas9 variants compatible with non-G PAMs. Nat Biotechnol 2020; 38:471-481. [PMID: 32042170 PMCID: PMC7145744 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-020-0412-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 223] [Impact Index Per Article: 55.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The targeting scope of Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9) and its engineered variants is largely restricted to protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM) sequences containing G bases. Here we report the evolution of three new SpCas9 variants that collectively recognize NRNH PAMs (where R is A or G and H is A, C or T) using phage-assisted non-continuous evolution, three new phage-assisted continuous evolution strategies for DNA binding and a secondary selection for DNA cleavage. The targeting capabilities of these evolved variants and SpCas9-NG were characterized in HEK293T cells using a library of 11,776 genomically integrated protospacer-sgRNA pairs containing all possible NNNN PAMs. The evolved variants mediated indel formation and base editing in human cells and enabled A•T-to-G•C base editing of a sickle cell anemia mutation using a previously inaccessible CACC PAM. These new evolved SpCas9 variants, together with previously reported variants, in principle enable targeting of most NR PAM sequences and substantially reduce the fraction of genomic sites that are inaccessible by Cas9-based methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon M Miller
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Tina Wang
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Peyton B Randolph
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Mandana Arbab
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Max W Shen
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Computational and Systems Biology Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Tony P Huang
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Zaneta Matuszek
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Gregory A Newby
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Holly A Rees
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - David R Liu
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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25
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Leal J, Peng X, Liu X, Arasappan D, Wylie DC, Schwartz SH, Fullmer JJ, McWilliams BC, Smyth HDC, Ghosh D. Peptides as surface coatings of nanoparticles that penetrate human cystic fibrosis sputum and uniformly distribute in vivo following pulmonary delivery. J Control Release 2020; 322:457-469. [PMID: 32243979 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2020.03.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Revised: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Therapeutic delivery of drug and gene delivery systems have to traverse multiple biological barriers to achieve efficacy. Mucosal administration, such as pulmonary delivery in cystic fibrosis (CF) disease, remains a significant challenge due to concentrated viscoelastic mucus, which prevents drugs and particles from penetrating the mucus barrier. To address this problem, we used combinatorial peptide-presenting phage libraries and next-generation sequencing (NGS) to identify hydrophilic, net-neutral charged peptide coatings that enable penetration through human CF mucus ex vivo with ~600-fold better penetration than control, improve uptake into lung epithelial cells compared to uncoated or PEGylated-nanoparticles, and exhibit enhanced uniform distribution and retention in the mouse lung airways. These peptide coatings address multiple delivery barriers and effectively serve as excellent alternatives to standard PEG surface chemistries to achieve mucus penetration and address some of the challenges encountered using these chemistries. This biomolecule-based strategy can address multiple delivery barriers and hold promise to advance efficacy of therapeutics for diseases like CF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmim Leal
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, 2409 University Ave, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Xiujuan Peng
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, 2409 University Ave, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Xinquan Liu
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, 2409 University Ave, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Dhivya Arasappan
- Center for Biomedical Research Support, The University of Texas at Austin, 102 E. 24th Street, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Dennis C Wylie
- Center for Biomedical Research Support, The University of Texas at Austin, 102 E. 24th Street, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Sarah H Schwartz
- Seton Healthcare Family, 11111 Research Blvd Suite 300, Austin, TX 78759, USA
| | - Jason J Fullmer
- Seton Healthcare Family, 11111 Research Blvd Suite 300, Austin, TX 78759, USA
| | - Bennie C McWilliams
- Seton Healthcare Family, 11111 Research Blvd Suite 300, Austin, TX 78759, USA
| | - Hugh D C Smyth
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, 2409 University Ave, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Debadyuti Ghosh
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, 2409 University Ave, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
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26
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Zhang C, Shao S, Zhang Y, Wang L, Liu J, Fang F, Li P, Wang B. LncRNA PCAT1 promotes metastasis of endometrial carcinoma through epigenetical downregulation of E-cadherin associated with methyltransferase EZH2. Life Sci 2020; 243:117295. [PMID: 31927050 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2020.117295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Revised: 12/26/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
More than 140 thousands of women suffer from endometrial carcinoma in the worldwide, and over 40 thousand of the patients die before and after in surgery and chemoradiotherapy because of its metastasis. However, its molecular mechanism is much less known compared to other cancers. In this study, we demonstrated that long non-coding RNA PCAT1 is dramatically increased in the tissues and plasma from endometrial carcinoma (EC) (n = 100, all p < 0.001) controlled by its paracancerous tissue, and cell lines including RL-952, HEC-1-B, KLE, Ishikawa, and AN3CA compared to the cells from normal endometrium (all p < 0.001). When lncRNA PCAT1 was knocked-down, the KLE and AN3CA cells exhibited slow capability on proliferation and colony formation in vitro. With the silence of lncRNA PCAT1, the cells were markedly inhibited on migration and invasion in vitro (all p < 0.001), which were confirmed on the EC patient subjects. When expressions of lncRNA PCAT1 were interfered in the cells, expressions of E-cadherin but not N-cadherin and Vimentin were significantly promoted with a strong up-regulation accompanied by nearly completed recoveries on migration and invasion (all p < 0.001). In order to analyze the association of lncRNA PCAT1 and E-cadherin, we silenced the expressions of both genes and unveiled that EC migration and invasion were significantly congested (all p < 0.001). Importantly, we found that the E-cadherin down-regulation caused by lncRNA PCAT1 associates with histone methyltransferase EZH2. When over-expression of EZH2 was applied in the PCAT1 silenced cells, the expression of E-cadherin experienced significant decrease in the cell lines. Reversely, when expression of EZH2 was annulled in the PCAT1 silenced cells, the expression of E-cadherin was significantly boosted in the cells (all p < 0.001). Furthermore, the interaction of lncRNA PCAT1 and EZH2 were approved with immunoprecipitation. Our data demonstrated that the methyltransferase EZH2 related up-regulation of lncRNA PCAT1 along with down-regulation of E-cadherin could be essential in oncogenesis of endometrial carcinoma in both EC cells and patient subjects. These compact data suggest that combination of lncRNA PCAT1, EZH2 and E-cadherin could provide valued information for efficient EC diagnostics, which would propose a potential target for EC treatment with EZH2i on methyltransferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunhua Zhang
- Department of Gynaecology, Huaian Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Huaian, Jiangsu 223300, China
| | - Shasha Shao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221000, China
| | - Yujian Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221000, China
| | - Liyang Wang
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
| | - Jianzhong Liu
- Department of Gynecology, Huaian Second People's Hospital, Huaian, Jiangsu 223300, China
| | - Fang Fang
- Department of Gynaecology, Huaian Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Huaian, Jiangsu 223300, China
| | - Peiquan Li
- Department of Gynecology and Oncology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, Shanghai 200000, China
| | - Bo Wang
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Huaian First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Huaian, 223300 Jiangsu, China.
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27
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Host Range of Bacteriophages Against a World-Wide Collection of Erwinia amylovora Determined Using a Quantitative PCR Assay. Viruses 2019; 11:v11100910. [PMID: 31581574 PMCID: PMC6832558 DOI: 10.3390/v11100910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Revised: 09/21/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Erwinia amylovora is a globally devastating pathogen of apple, pear, and other Rosaceous plants. The use of lytic bacteriophages for disease management continues to garner attention as a possible supplement or alternative to antibiotics. A quantitative productive host range was established for 10 Erwinia phages using 106 wild type global isolates of E. amylovora, and the closely related Erwinia pyrifoliae, to investigate the potential regional efficacy of these phages within a biopesticide. Each host was individually infected with each of the 10 Erwinia phages and phage production after 8 h incubation was measured using quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) in conjunction with a standardized plasmid. PCR amplicons for all phages used in the study were incorporated into a single plasmid, allowing standardized quantification of the phage genome copy number after the infection process. Nine of the tested phages exhibited a broad host range, replicating their genomes by at least one log in over 88% of tested hosts. Also, every Amygdaloideae infecting E. amylovora host was able to increase at least one phage by three logs. Bacterial hosts isolated in western North America were less susceptible to most phages, as the mean genomic titre produced dropped by nearly two logs, and this phenomenon was strongly correlated to the amount of exopolysaccharide produced by the host. This method of host range analysis is faster and requires less effort than traditional plaque assay techniques, and the resulting quantitative data highlight subtle differences in phage host preference not observable with typical plaque-based host range assays. These quantitative host range data will be useful to determine which phages should be incorporated into a phage-mediated biocontrol formulation to be tested for regional and universal control of E. amylovora.
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28
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Wang T, Nguyen A, Zhang L, Turko IV. Mass spectrometry enumeration of filamentous M13 bacteriophage. Anal Biochem 2019; 582:113354. [PMID: 31276652 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2019.113354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2019] [Revised: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
In the last decade, filamentous M13 bacteriophage has emerged into numerous biotechnological applications as a promising nontoxic and self-assembling biomaterial with specific binding properties. This raises a question about its upscale production that consequently requires an accurate phage enumeration during the various protocol developments. However, traditional methods of measuring phage concentration are mainly biological in nature and therefore time and labor intensive. These traditional methods also demonstrate poor reproducibility and are semi-quantitative at best. In the present work, we capitalized on mass spectrometry based absolute protein quantitation. We have optimized the quantitation conditions for a major coat protein, pVIII. Enumeration of M13 bacteriophage can be further performed using the determined molar concentration of pVIII, Avogadro's number, and known copy number of pVIII per phage. Since many different phages have well-defined copy number of capsid proteins, the proposed approach can be simply applied to any phage with known copy number of a specific capsid protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Wang
- Biomolecular Measurement Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, United States; Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, MD, 20850, United States; Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32601, United States
| | - Ai Nguyen
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, MD, 20850, United States
| | - Linwen Zhang
- Biomolecular Measurement Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, United States; Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, MD, 20850, United States
| | - Illarion V Turko
- Biomolecular Measurement Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, United States; Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, MD, 20850, United States.
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29
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Méndez-Scolari JE, Florentín-Pavía MM, Mujica MP, Rojas N, Sotelo PH. A qPCR Targeted Against the Viral Replication Origin Designed to Quantify Total Amount of Filamentous Phages and Phagemids. Indian J Microbiol 2019; 59:365-369. [PMID: 31388215 DOI: 10.1007/s12088-019-00798-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Filamentous bacteriophages are widely used in phage display technology. The most common quantification method is lysis plaque formation test (PFT). This technique has several disadvantages, and only quantifies infective phages and is not effective when phagemids are used. We developed a qPCR method directed against the M13 replication origin, which detects between 3.3 × 103 and 3.3 × 108 viral genome copies with a linearity of R 2 = 0.9998. Using this method we were able to observe a difference of approximately ten more phages than with the PFT. This difference was not due to the presence of a free genome, which suggests the presence of non-infective particles. Using a DNaseI treatment, we observed the presence of 30% to 40% of unpackaged genome in recombinant phage modified in PIII or PVIII. The qPCR method with a DNase I treatment is an efficient method to quantify the total amount of filamentous phages.
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Affiliation(s)
- J E Méndez-Scolari
- Dpto. de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Campus Universitario, San Lorenzo, Paraguay
| | - M M Florentín-Pavía
- Dpto. de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Campus Universitario, San Lorenzo, Paraguay
| | - M P Mujica
- Dpto. de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Campus Universitario, San Lorenzo, Paraguay
| | - N Rojas
- Dpto. de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Campus Universitario, San Lorenzo, Paraguay
| | - P H Sotelo
- Dpto. de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Campus Universitario, San Lorenzo, Paraguay
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30
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Peng X, Leal J, Mohanty R, Soto M, Ghosh D. Quantitative PCR of T7 Bacteriophage from Biopanning. J Vis Exp 2018. [PMID: 30320762 DOI: 10.3791/58165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
This protocol describes the use of quantitative PCR (qPCR) to enumerate T7 phages from phage selection experiments (i.e., "biopanning"). qPCR is a fluorescence-based approach to quantify DNA, and here, it is adapted to quantify phage genomes as a proxy for phage particles. In this protocol, a facile phage DNA preparation method is described using high-temperature heating without additional DNA purification. The method only needs small volumes of heat-treated phages and small volumes of the qPCR reaction. qPCR is high-throughput and fast, able to process and obtain data from a 96-well plate of reactions in 2-4 h. Compared to other phage enumeration approaches, qPCR is more time-efficient. Here, qPCR is used to enumerate T7 phages identified from biopanning against in vitro cystic fibrosis-like mucus model. The qPCR method can be extended to quantify T7 phages from other experiments, including other types of biopanning (e.g., immobilized protein binding, in vivo phage screening) and other sources (e.g., water systems or body fluids). In summary, this protocol can be modified to quantify any DNA-encapsulated viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiujuan Peng
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, College of Pharmacy, University of Texas at Austin
| | - Jasmim Leal
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, College of Pharmacy, University of Texas at Austin
| | - Rashmi Mohanty
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, College of Pharmacy, University of Texas at Austin
| | - Melissa Soto
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, College of Pharmacy, University of Texas at Austin
| | - Debadyuti Ghosh
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, College of Pharmacy, University of Texas at Austin;
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Morella NM, Yang SC, Hernandez CA, Koskella B. Rapid quantification of bacteriophages and their bacterial hosts in vitro and in vivo using droplet digital PCR. J Virol Methods 2018; 259:18-24. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2018.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2017] [Revised: 04/07/2018] [Accepted: 05/12/2018] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
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