1
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Yang F, Labani-Motlagh A, Bohorquez JA, Moreira JD, Ansari D, Patel S, Spagnolo F, Florence J, Vankayalapati A, Sakai T, Sato O, Ikebe M, Vankayalapati R, Dennehy JJ, Samten B, Yi G. Bacteriophage therapy for the treatment of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections in humanized mice. Commun Biol 2024; 7:294. [PMID: 38461214 PMCID: PMC10924958 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06006-x] [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: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/11/2024] Open
Abstract
The continuing emergence of new strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has renewed interest in phage therapy; however, there has been limited progress in applying phage therapy to multi-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infections. In this study, we show that bacteriophage strains D29 and DS6A can efficiently lyse Mtb H37Rv in 7H10 agar plates. However, only phage DS6A efficiently kills H37Rv in liquid culture and in Mtb-infected human primary macrophages. We further show in subsequent experiments that, after the humanized mice were infected with aerosolized H37Rv, then treated with DS6A intravenously, the DS6A treated mice showed increased body weight and improved pulmonary function relative to control mice. Furthermore, DS6A reduces Mtb load in mouse organs with greater efficacy in the spleen. These results demonstrate the feasibility of developing phage therapy as an effective therapeutic against Mtb infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Yang
- Department of Medicine, The University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine, Tyler, TX, USA
- Center for Biomedical Research, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
| | - Alireza Labani-Motlagh
- Department of Medicine, The University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine, Tyler, TX, USA
- Center for Biomedical Research, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, Hackensack, NJ, USA
| | - Jose Alejandro Bohorquez
- Department of Medicine, The University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine, Tyler, TX, USA
- Center for Biomedical Research, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
| | - Josimar Dornelas Moreira
- Center for Biomedical Research, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
| | - Danish Ansari
- Department of Medicine, The University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine, Tyler, TX, USA
- Center for Biomedical Research, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
| | - Sahil Patel
- Department of Medicine, The University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine, Tyler, TX, USA
- Center for Biomedical Research, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
| | - Fabrizio Spagnolo
- Life Sciences Department, Long Island University Post, Brookville, NY, USA
| | - Jon Florence
- Center for Biomedical Research, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
| | - Abhinav Vankayalapati
- Center for Biomedical Research, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
| | - Tsuyoshi Sakai
- Center for Biomedical Research, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
| | - Osamu Sato
- Center for Biomedical Research, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
| | - Mitsuo Ikebe
- Center for Biomedical Research, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
| | - Ramakrishna Vankayalapati
- Center for Biomedical Research, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
| | - John J Dennehy
- Biology Department, Queens College of The City University of New York, Flushing, NY, USA.
- The Graduate Center of The City University of New York, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Buka Samten
- Center for Biomedical Research, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA.
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA.
| | - Guohua Yi
- Department of Medicine, The University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine, Tyler, TX, USA.
- Center for Biomedical Research, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA.
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA.
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2
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Das R, Nadar K, Arora R, Bajpai U. Unlocking prophage potential: In silico and experimental analysis of a novel Mycobacterium fortuitum LysinB containing a peptidoglycan-binding domain. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.15.580446. [PMID: 38405724 PMCID: PMC10888907 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.15.580446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Endolysins are highly evolved bacteriophage-encoded lytic enzymes produced to damage the bacterial cell wall for phage progeny release. They offer promising potential as highly specific lytic proteins with a low chance of bacterial resistance. The diversity in lysin sequences and domain organization can be staggering. In silico analysis of bacteriophage and prophage genomes can help identify endolysins exhibiting unique features and high antibacterial activity, hence feeding the pipeline of narrow-spectrum protein antibiotics. Mycobacteriophage lysis cassettes mostly have two lytic enzymes, LysinA and LysinB. The enzyme LysinA targets peptidoglycan in the cell wall and possesses a modular architecture. LysinB typically contains a single domain and acts upon the mycolyl ester linkages in mycolyl-arabinogalactan-peptidoglycan (Payne et al., 2010). This study aimed to find novel LysinBs against Mycobacterium fortuitum. After a detailed in silico characterization of lysis cassettes from three M. fortuitum prophages, we chose to work on a LysinB (hereafter described as LysinB_MF) found in an incomplete prophage (phiE1336, 9.4 kb in strain E1336). LysinB_MF showed low sequence similarity with any other endolysins in the database and formed a separate clade on phylogenetic analysis. LysinB_MF's structure, extracted from the AlphaFold Protein Structure Database, demonstrated a modular architecture with two structurally distinct domains: a peptidoglycan-binding domain (PGBD) at the N-terminal and the characteristic alpha/beta hydrolase domain connected via a linker peptide. We found the alpha/beta hydrolase domain, which is the enzyme-active domain (EAD), contains the conserved Ser-Asp-His catalytic triad with a tunnel-like topology and forms intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The PGBD shows structural similarity to the cell-wall binding domain of an amidase from Clostridium acetobutylicum, hinting at its acquisition due to domain mobility. Our in silico electrostatic potential analysis suggested that PGBD might be essential to the enzyme activity. This was experimentally validated by generating a truncated version of the enzyme, which demonstrated about six-fold decreased activity compared to its native form. The antimycobacterial activity of this enzyme was also compromised in its absence. Based on our analysis, PGBD emerged as an integral constituent of enzymes with diverse functional properties and is predicted to be a conserved cross-kingdom. Overall, this study highlights the importance of mining mycobacterial prophages as a novel endolysin source. It also provides unique insights into the diverse architecture of mycobacteriophage-encoded endolysins and the importance of functional domains for their catalytic activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ritam Das
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena-07737, Germany
- Department of Life Science, Acharya Narendra Dev College, University of Delhi, Govindpuri, Kalkaji-110019, New Delhi, India
| | - Kanika Nadar
- Department of Biomedical Science, Acharya Narendra Dev College, University of Delhi, Govindpuri, Kalkaji-110019, New Delhi, India
| | - Ritu Arora
- Department of Biomedical Science, Acharya Narendra Dev College, University of Delhi, Govindpuri, Kalkaji-110019, New Delhi, India
| | - Urmi Bajpai
- Department of Biomedical Science, Acharya Narendra Dev College, University of Delhi, Govindpuri, Kalkaji-110019, New Delhi, India
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3
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Guerrero-Bustamante CA, Hatfull GF. Bacteriophage tRNA-dependent lysogeny: requirement of phage-encoded tRNA genes for establishment of lysogeny. mBio 2024; 15:e0326023. [PMID: 38236026 PMCID: PMC10865867 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03260-23] [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: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Bacteriophages are large and diverse components of the biosphere, and many phages are temperate. Upon infection, temperate phages can establish lysogeny in which a prophage is typically integrated into the bacterial chromosome. Here, we describe the phenomenon of tRNA-dependent lysogeny, a previously unrecognized behavior of some temperate phages. tRNA-dependent lysogeny is characterized by two unusual features. First, a phage-encoded tyrosine family integrase mediates site-specific recombination between a phage attP site and a bacterial attB site overlapping a host tRNA gene. However, attP and attB share only a short (~10 bp) common core such that a functional tRNA is not reconstructed upon integration. Second, the phage encodes a tRNA of the same isotype as the disrupted but essential host tRNA, complementing its loss, and consequently is required for the survival of lysogenic progeny. As expected, an integrase-defective phage mutant forms turbid plaques, and bacterial progeny are immune to superinfection, but they lack stability, and the prophage is rapidly lost. In contrast, a tRNA-defective phage mutant forms clear plaques and more closely resembles a repressor mutant, and lysogens are recovered only at very low frequency through the use of secondary attachment sites elsewhere in the host genome. Integration-proficient plasmids derived from these phages must also carry a cognate phage tRNA gene for efficient integration, and these may be useful tools for mycobacterial genetics. We show that tRNA-dependent lysogeny is used by phages within multiple different groups of related viruses and may be prevalent elsewhere in the broader phage community.IMPORTANCEBacteriophages are the most numerous biological entities in the biosphere, and a substantial proportion of phages are temperate, forming stable lysogens in which a prophage copy of the genome integrates into the bacterial chromosome. Many phages encode a variety of tRNA genes whose roles are poorly understood, although it has been proposed that they enhance translational efficiencies in lytic growth or that they counteract host defenses that degrade host tRNAs. Here, we show that phage-encoded tRNAs play key roles in the establishment of lysogeny of some temperate phages. They do so by compensating for the loss of tRNA function when phages integrate at an attB site overlapping a tRNA gene but fail to reconstruct the tRNA at the attachment junction. In this system of tRNA-dependent lysogeny, the phage-encoded tRNA is required for lysogeny, and deletion of the phage tRNA gives rise to a clear plaque phenotype and obligate lytic growth.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Graham F. Hatfull
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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4
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Baliraine FW, Mathews KE, Livingston EG, Martinez CA, Donnelly OL, Pledger TM, Feroz T, Harbison ZJ, Schlimme SG, Andrade C, Salazar KN, Berryhill EC, DeLosSantos MM, Foree HL, Gicheru W, Jett AM, Mendez SN, Odebiyi TM, Pitman JI, Tan MJ, McLoud JD, Baliraine FN. Complete genome sequences and characteristics of mycobacteriophages Diminimus, Dulcita, Glaske16, and Koreni. Microbiol Resour Announc 2024; 13:e0101023. [PMID: 38063427 DOI: 10.1128/mra.01010-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Complete genome sequences of four novel mycobacteriophages, Diminimus, Dulcita, Glaske16, and Koreni, isolated from soil are presented. All these bacteriophages belong to subcluster M1, except Koreni that belongs to subcluster A4. Moreover, all have siphovirus morphologies, with genome sizes ranging from 51,055 to 81,156 bp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faith W Baliraine
- Department of Biology and Kinesiology, LeTourneau University , Longview, Texas, USA
| | - Kaitlyn E Mathews
- Department of Biology and Kinesiology, LeTourneau University , Longview, Texas, USA
| | - Emma G Livingston
- Department of Biology and Kinesiology, LeTourneau University , Longview, Texas, USA
| | - Clarissa A Martinez
- Department of Biology and Kinesiology, LeTourneau University , Longview, Texas, USA
| | - Olivia L Donnelly
- Department of Biology and Kinesiology, LeTourneau University , Longview, Texas, USA
| | - Taryn M Pledger
- Department of Biology and Kinesiology, LeTourneau University , Longview, Texas, USA
| | - Tadeen Feroz
- Department of Biology and Kinesiology, LeTourneau University , Longview, Texas, USA
| | - Zoe J Harbison
- Department of Biology and Kinesiology, LeTourneau University , Longview, Texas, USA
| | - Sarah G Schlimme
- Department of Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering, LeTourneau University , Longview, Texas, USA
| | - Camila Andrade
- Department of Biology and Kinesiology, LeTourneau University , Longview, Texas, USA
| | - Keren N Salazar
- Department of Biology and Kinesiology, LeTourneau University , Longview, Texas, USA
| | - Elise C Berryhill
- Department of Biology and Kinesiology, LeTourneau University , Longview, Texas, USA
| | | | - Hannah L Foree
- Department of Biology and Kinesiology, LeTourneau University , Longview, Texas, USA
| | - Wanjiru Gicheru
- Department of Biology and Kinesiology, LeTourneau University , Longview, Texas, USA
| | - Adrienne M Jett
- Department of Biology and Kinesiology, LeTourneau University , Longview, Texas, USA
| | - Sofia N Mendez
- Department of Biology and Kinesiology, LeTourneau University , Longview, Texas, USA
| | - Toluwalope M Odebiyi
- Department of Biology and Kinesiology, LeTourneau University , Longview, Texas, USA
| | - Jacob I Pitman
- Department of Biology and Kinesiology, LeTourneau University , Longview, Texas, USA
| | - Michael J Tan
- Department of Biology and Kinesiology, LeTourneau University , Longview, Texas, USA
| | - Josh D McLoud
- Department of Biology and Kinesiology, LeTourneau University , Longview, Texas, USA
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5
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Van Cauwenberghe J, Simms EL. How might bacteriophages shape biological invasions? mBio 2023; 14:e0188623. [PMID: 37812005 PMCID: PMC10653932 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01886-23] [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] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Invasions by eukaryotes dependent on environmentally acquired bacterial mutualists are often limited by the ability of bacterial partners to survive and establish free-living populations. Focusing on the model legume-rhizobium mutualism, we apply invasion biology hypotheses to explain how bacteriophages can impact the competitiveness of introduced bacterial mutualists. Predicting how phage-bacteria interactions affect invading eukaryotic hosts requires knowing the eco-evolutionary constraints of introduced and native microbial communities, as well as their differences in abundance and diversity. By synthesizing research from invasion biology, as well as bacterial, viral, and community ecology, we create a conceptual framework for understanding and predicting how phages can affect biological invasions through their effects on bacterial mutualists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jannick Van Cauwenberghe
- Institute of Biodiversity, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Ellen L. Simms
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
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6
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Abad L, Gauthier CH, Florian I, Jacobs-Sera D, Hatfull GF. The heterogenous and diverse population of prophages in Mycobacterium genomes. mSystems 2023; 8:e0044623. [PMID: 37791767 PMCID: PMC10654092 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00446-23] [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: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Mycobacterium species include several human pathogens and mycobacteriophages show potential for therapeutic use to control Mycobacterium infections. However, phage infection profiles vary greatly among Mycobacterium abscessus clinical isolates and phage therapies must be personalized for individual patients. Mycobacterium phage susceptibility is likely determined primarily by accessory parts of bacterial genomes, and we have identified the prophage and phage-related genomic regions across sequenced Mycobacterium strains. The prophages are numerous and diverse, especially in M. abscessus genomes, and provide a potentially rich reservoir of new viruses that can be propagated lytically and used to expand the repertoire of therapeutically useful phages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lawrence Abad
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Christian H. Gauthier
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Isabella Florian
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Deborah Jacobs-Sera
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Graham F. Hatfull
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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7
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Machowski EE, Ealand CS, Jacobs O, Kana BD. Complete genome sequence of Azrael100, a V cluster mycobacteriophage. Microbiol Resour Announc 2023; 12:e0068423. [PMID: 37732803 PMCID: PMC10586154 DOI: 10.1128/mra.00684-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Azrael100, a cluster V siphoviral mycobacteriophage, was isolated from a garden in Johannesburg, South Africa. It can infect and lyse Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2155. The double-stranded DNA genome contains 78,063 base pairs with a GC content of 56.9%, with 141 predicted open reading frames, 23 tRNAs, and one tmRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edith Erika Machowski
- DSI/NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical TB Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Christopher Shawn Ealand
- DSI/NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical TB Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Olivia Jacobs
- DSI/NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical TB Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Bavesh Davandra Kana
- DSI/NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical TB Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
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8
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Dedrick RM, Abad L, Storey N, Kaganovsky AM, Smith BE, Aull HA, Cristinziano M, Morkowska A, Murthy S, Loebinger MR, Hatfull GF, Satta G. The problem of Mycobacterium abscessus complex: multi-drug resistance, bacteriophage susceptibility and potential healthcare transmission. Clin Microbiol Infect 2023; 29:1335.e9-1335.e16. [PMID: 37364635 PMCID: PMC10583746 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2023.06.026] [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: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Mycobacterium abscessus complex is responsible for 2.6-13.0% of all non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary infections and these are notoriously difficult to treat due to the complex regimens required, drug resistance and adverse effects. Hence, bacteriophages have been considered in clinical practice as an additional treatment option. Here, we evaluated antibiotic and phage susceptibility profiles of M. abscessus clinical isolates. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) revealed the phylogenetic relationships, dominant circulating clones (DCCs), the likelihood of patient-to-patient transmission and the presence of prophages. METHODS Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using CLSI breakpoints (n = 95), and plaque assays were used for phage susceptibility testing (subset of n = 88, 35 rough and 53 smooth morphology). WGS was completed using the Illumina platform and analysed using Snippy/snp-dists and Discovery and Extraction of Phages Tool (DEPhT). RESULTS Amikacin and Tigecycline were the most active drugs (with 2 strains resistant to amikacin, and one strain with Tigecycline MIC of 4 μg/mL). Most strains were resistant to all other drugs tested, with Linezolid and Imipenem showing the least resistance, at 38% (36/95) and 55% (52/95), respectively. Rough colony morphotype strains were more phage-susceptible than smooth strains (77%-27/35 versus 48%-25/53 in the plaque assays, but smooth strains are not killed efficiently by those phages in liquid infection assay). We have also identified 100 resident prophages, some of which were propagated lytically. DCC1 (20%-18/90) and DCC4 (22%-20/90) were observed to be the major clones and WGS identified 6 events of possible patient-to-patient transmission. DISCUSSION Many strains of M. abscessus complex are intrinsically resistant to available antibiotics and bacteriophages represent an alternative therapeutic option, but only for strains with rough morphology. Further studies are needed to elucidate the role of hospital-borne M. abscessus transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebekah M Dedrick
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Lawrence Abad
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Nathaniel Storey
- Department of Microbiology, Virology and Infection Control, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Ari M Kaganovsky
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Bailey E Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Haley A Aull
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Madison Cristinziano
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | | | - Saraswathi Murthy
- Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals, Guys and St Thomas's NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Michael R Loebinger
- Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals, Guys and St Thomas's NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK; National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Graham F Hatfull
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Giovanni Satta
- Centre for Clinical Microbiology, University College London, London, UK; Infection Division, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
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9
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Wetzel KS, Illouz M, Abad L, Aull HG, Russell DA, Garlena RA, Cristinziano M, Malmsheimer S, Chalut C, Hatfull GF, Kremer L. Therapeutically useful mycobacteriophages BPs and Muddy require trehalose polyphleates. Nat Microbiol 2023; 8:1717-1731. [PMID: 37644325 PMCID: PMC10465359 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-023-01451-6] [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: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Mycobacteriophages show promise as therapeutic agents for non-tuberculous mycobacterium infections. However, little is known about phage recognition of Mycobacterium cell surfaces or mechanisms of phage resistance. We show here that trehalose polyphleates (TPPs)-high-molecular-weight, surface-exposed glycolipids found in some mycobacterial species-are required for infection of Mycobacterium abscessus and Mycobacterium smegmatis by clinically useful phages BPs and Muddy. TPP loss leads to defects in adsorption and infection and confers resistance. Transposon mutagenesis shows that TPP disruption is the primary mechanism for phage resistance. Spontaneous phage resistance occurs through TPP loss by mutation, and some M. abscessus clinical isolates are naturally phage-insensitive due to TPP synthesis gene mutations. Both BPs and Muddy become TPP-independent through single amino acid substitutions in their tail spike proteins, and M. abscessus mutants resistant to TPP-independent phages reveal additional resistance mechanisms. Clinical use of BPs and Muddy TPP-independent mutants should preempt phage resistance caused by TPP loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine S Wetzel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Morgane Illouz
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 9004, Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier (IRIM), Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Lawrence Abad
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Haley G Aull
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Daniel A Russell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Rebecca A Garlena
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Madison Cristinziano
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Silke Malmsheimer
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 9004, Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier (IRIM), Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Christian Chalut
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Graham F Hatfull
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Laurent Kremer
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 9004, Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier (IRIM), Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
- INSERM, IRIM, Montpellier, France.
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10
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Nayak T, Kakkar A, Singh RK, Jaiswal LK, Singh AK, Temple L, Gupta A. Isolation and characterization of a novel mycobacteriophage Kashi-VT1 infecting Mycobacterium species. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1173894. [PMID: 37545854 PMCID: PMC10400892 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1173894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Mycobacteriophages are viruses that infect members of genus Mycobacterium. Because of the rise in antibiotic resistance in mycobacterial diseases such as tuberculosis, mycobacteriophages have received renewed attention as alternative therapeutic agents. Mycobacteriophages are highly diverse, and, on the basis of their genome sequences, they are grouped into 30 clusters and 10 singletons. In this article, we have described the isolation and characterization of a novel mycobacteriophage Kashi-VT1 (KVT1) infecting Mycobacterium >smegmatis mc2 155 (M. smegmatis) and Mycobacterium fortuitum isolated from Varanasi, India. KVT1 is a cluster K1 temperate phage that belongs to Siphoviridae family as visualized in transmission electron microscopy. The phage genome is 61,010 base pairs with 66.5% Guanine/Cytosine (GC) content, encoding 101 putative open reading frames. The KVT1 genome encodes an immunity repressor, a tyrosine integrase, and an excise protein, which are the characteristics of temperate phages. It also contains genes encoding holin, lysin A, and lysin B involved in host cell lysis. The one-step growth curve demonstrated that KVT1 has a latency time of 90 min and an average burst size of 101 phage particles per infected cell. It can withstand a temperature of up to 45°C and has a maximum viability between pH 8 and 9. Some mycobacteriophages from cluster K are known to infect the pathogenic Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis); hence, KVT1 holds potential for the phage therapy against tuberculosis, and it can also be engineered to convert into an exclusively lytic phage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanmayee Nayak
- Molecular Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
| | - Anuja Kakkar
- Molecular Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
| | - Rakesh Kumar Singh
- Molecular Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
| | - Lav Kumar Jaiswal
- Molecular Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
| | - Anand Kumar Singh
- Interdisciplinary School of Life Sciences, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
| | - Louise Temple
- School of Integrated Sciences, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA, United States
| | - Ankush Gupta
- Molecular Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
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11
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Freeman KG, Robotham AC, Parks OB, Abad L, Jacobs-Sera D, Lauer MJ, Podgorski JM, Zhang Y, Williams JV, White SJ, Kelly JF, Hatfull GF, Pope WH. Virion glycosylation influences mycobacteriophage immune recognition. Cell Host Microbe 2023; 31:1216-1231.e6. [PMID: 37329881 PMCID: PMC10527164 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2023.05.028] [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: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Glycosylation of eukaryotic virus particles is common and influences their uptake, trafficking, and immune recognition. In contrast, glycosylation of bacteriophage particles has not been reported; phage virions typically do not enter the cytoplasm upon infection, and they do not generally inhabit eukaryotic systems. We show here that several genomically distinct phages of Mycobacteria are modified with glycans attached to the C terminus of capsid and tail tube protein subunits. These O-linked glycans influence antibody production and recognition, shielding viral particles from antibody binding and reducing production of neutralizing antibodies. Glycosylation is mediated by phage-encoded glycosyltransferases, and genomic analysis suggests that they are relatively common among mycobacteriophages. Putative glycosyltransferases are also encoded by some Gordonia and Streptomyces phages, but there is little evidence of glycosylation among the broader phage population. The immune response to glycosylated phage virions in mice suggests that glycosylation may be an advantageous property for phage therapy of Mycobacterium infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista G Freeman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Anna C Robotham
- Human Health Therapeutics, National Research Council of Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6, Canada
| | - Olivia B Parks
- UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA; Department of Pediatrics and Center for Vaccine Research, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Lawrence Abad
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Deborah Jacobs-Sera
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Michael J Lauer
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Jennifer M Podgorski
- Biology/Physics Building, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269-3125, USA
| | - Yu Zhang
- UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA; Department of Pediatrics and Center for Vaccine Research, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - John V Williams
- UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA; Department of Pediatrics and Center for Vaccine Research, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Simon J White
- Biology/Physics Building, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269-3125, USA
| | - John F Kelly
- Human Health Therapeutics, National Research Council of Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6, Canada
| | - Graham F Hatfull
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
| | - Welkin H Pope
- Science Department, Chatham University, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
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12
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Opperman CJ, Wojno J, Goosen W, Warren R. Phages for the treatment of Mycobacterium species. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2023; 201:41-92. [PMID: 37770176 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2023.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Highly drug-resistant strains are not uncommon among the Mycobacterium genus, with patients requiring lengthy antibiotic treatment regimens with multiple drugs and harmful side effects. This alarming increase in antibiotic resistance globally has renewed the interest in mycobacteriophage therapy for both Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and non-tuberculosis mycobacteria. With the increasing number of genetically well-characterized mycobacteriophages and robust engineering tools to convert temperate phages to obligate lytic phages, the phage cache against extensive drug-resistant mycobacteria is constantly expanding. Synergistic effects between phages and TB drugs are also a promising avenue to research, with mycobacteriophages having several additional advantages compared to traditional antibiotics due to their different modes of action. These advantages include less side effects, a narrow host spectrum, biofilm penetration, self-replication at the site of infection and the potential to be manufactured on a large scale. In addition, mycobacteriophage enzymes, not yet in clinical use, warrant further studies with their additional benefits for rupturing host bacteria thereby limiting resistance development as well as showing promise in vitro to act synergistically with TB drugs. Before mycobacteriophage therapy can be envisioned as part of routine care, several obstacles must be overcome to translate in vitro work into clinical practice. Strategies to target intracellular bacteria and selecting phage cocktails to limit cross-resistance remain important avenues to explore. However, insight into pathophysiological host-phage interactions on a molecular level and innovative solutions to transcend mycobacteriophage therapy impediments, offer sufficient encouragement to explore phage therapy. Recently, the first successful clinical studies were performed using a mycobacteriophage-constructed cocktail to treat non-tuberculosis mycobacteria, providing substantial insight into lessons learned and potential pitfalls to avoid in order to ensure favorable outcomes. However, due to mycobacterium strain variation, mycobacteriophage therapy remains personalized, only being utilized in compassionate care cases until there is further regulatory approval. Therefore, identifying the determinants that influence clinical outcomes that can expand the repertoire of mycobacteriophages for therapeutic benefit, remains key for their future application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoffel Johannes Opperman
- National Health Laboratory Service, Green Point TB-Laboratory, Cape Town, South Africa; DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, SAMRC Centre for tuberculosis Research, Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa; Division of Medical Microbiology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
| | - Justyna Wojno
- Division of Medical Microbiology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; Lancet Laboratories, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Wynand Goosen
- DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, SAMRC Centre for tuberculosis Research, Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Rob Warren
- DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, SAMRC Centre for tuberculosis Research, Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
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13
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O'Connell LM, Buttimer C, Bottacini F, Coffey A, O'Mahony JM. Identification of novel genera and subcluster classifications for mycobacteriophages. MICROBIOME RESEARCH REPORTS 2023; 2:21. [PMID: 38046825 PMCID: PMC10688833 DOI: 10.20517/mrr.2023.17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Aim: To identify novel genera amongst mycobacteriophages (MP) and verify a hypothesised correlation between the taxonomy set by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) and the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) with that of the Actinobacteriophage Database, which may help formalise subcluster assignment. Methods: A dataset of 721 MP genomes was analysed using VIRIDIC, a nucleotide alignment-based software that predicts genus assignments. Potentially novel genera were analysed using Gegenees and VICTOR, respectively. These genera were then compared to the subclusters assigned by the Actinobacteriophage Database to verify a hypothesis that one genus can be assigned to one subcluster (i.e., the genus-subcluster hypothesis). Results: Initially, when comparing the current genus classifications of the 721 MP dataset to the Actinobacteriophage database subcluster assignments, 83.3% of subclusters supported the genus-subcluster hypothesis. Following the sequential VIRIDIC, Gegenees and VICTOR analyses, a total of 20 novel genera were identified based on a ≥ 70% and ~ 50% similarity threshold for VIRIDIC and Gegenees, respectively, and a monophyletic nature in the VICTOR output. Interestingly, these criteria also appear to support the creation of 13 novel subclusters, which would increase the support for the genus-subcluster hypothesis to 97.6%. Conclusion: The link between genus and subcluster classifications appears robust, as most subclusters can be assigned a single genus and vice versa. By relating the taxonomic and clustering classification systems, they can be easily kept up to date to best reflect MP diversity, which could aid the rapid selection of related (or diverse) phages for research, therapeutic and diagnostic purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Colin Buttimer
- APC Microbiome Ireland, Biosciences Research Institute, University College, Cork T12 YT20, Ireland
| | | | - Aidan Coffey
- Munster Technological University, Cork T12 P928, Ireland
| | - Jim M O'Mahony
- Munster Technological University, Cork T12 P928, Ireland
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14
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Wang CL, Zhang LY, Ding XY, Sun YC. Identification of Toxic Proteins Encoded by Mycobacteriophage TM4 Using a Next-Generation Sequencing-Based Method. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0501522. [PMID: 37154774 PMCID: PMC10269906 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.05015-22] [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: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Mycobacteriophages are viruses that specifically infect mycobacteria and which, due to their diversity, represent a large gene pool. Characterization of the function of these genes should provide useful insights into host-phage interactions. Here, we describe a next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based, high-throughput screening approach for the identification of mycobacteriophage-encoded proteins that are toxic to mycobacteria. A plasmid-derived library representing the mycobacteriophage TM4 genome was constructed and transformed into Mycobacterium smegmatis. NGS and growth assays showed that the expression of TM4 gp43, gp77, -78, and -79, or gp85 was toxic to M. smegmatis. Although the genes associated with bacterial toxicity were expressed during phage infection, they were not required for lytic replication of mycobacteriophage TM4. In conclusion, we describe here an NGS-based approach which required significantly less time and resources than traditional methods and allowed the identification of novel mycobacteriophage gene products that are toxic to mycobacteria. IMPORTANCE The wide spread of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis has brought an urgent need for new drug development. Mycobacteriophages are natural killers of M. tuberculosis, and their toxic gene products might provide potential anti-M. tuberculosis candidates. However, the enormous genetic diversity of mycobacteriophages poses challenges for the identification of these genes. Here, we used a simple and convenient screening method, based on next-generation sequencing, to identify mycobacteriophage genes encoding toxic products for mycobacteria. Using this approach, we screened and validated several toxic products encoded by mycobacteriophage TM4. In addition, we also found that the genes encoding these toxic products are nonessential for lytic replication of TM4. Our work describes a promising method for the identification of phage genes that encode proteins that are toxic to mycobacteria and which might facilitate the identification of novel antimicrobial molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Liang Wang
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, and Center for Tuberculosis Research, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Lan-Yue Zhang
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Beijing Key Laboratory for Drug Resistance Tuberculosis Research, Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Tuberculosis and Thoracic Tumor Research Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Xin-Yuan Ding
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, and Center for Tuberculosis Research, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yi-Cheng Sun
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, and Center for Tuberculosis Research, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
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15
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Wetzel KS, Illouz M, Abad L, Aull HG, Russell DA, Garlena RA, Cristinziano M, Malmsheimer S, Chalut C, Hatfull GF, Kremer L. Mycobacterium trehalose polyphleates are required for infection by therapeutically useful mycobacteriophages BPs and Muddy. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.14.532567. [PMID: 36993724 PMCID: PMC10055034 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.14.532567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Mycobacteriophages are good model systems for understanding their bacterial hosts and show promise as therapeutic agents for nontuberculous mycobacterium infections. However, little is known about phage recognition of Mycobacterium cell surfaces, or mechanisms of phage resistance. We show here that surface-exposed trehalose polyphleates (TPPs) are required for infection of Mycobacterium abscessus and Mycobacterium smegmatis by clinically useful phages BPs and Muddy, and that TPP loss leads to defects in adsorption, infection, and confers resistance. Transposon mutagenesis indicates that TPP loss is the primary mechanism for phage resistance. Spontaneous phage resistance occurs through TPP loss, and some M. abscessus clinical isolates are phage-insensitive due to TPP absence. Both BPs and Muddy become TPP-independent through single amino acid substitutions in their tail spike proteins, and M. abscessus mutants resistant to TPP-independent phages reveal additional resistance mechanisms. Clinical use of BPs and Muddy TPP-independent mutants should preempt phage resistance caused by TPP loss.
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16
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O'Connell LM, Coffey A, O'Mahony JM. Alternatives to antibiotics in veterinary medicine: considerations for the management of Johne's disease. Anim Health Res Rev 2023; 24:12-27. [PMID: 37475561 DOI: 10.1017/s146625232300004x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance has become a major health concern globally, with current predictions expecting deaths related to resistant infections to surpass those of cancer by 2050. Major efforts are being undertaken to develop derivative and novel alternatives to current antibiotic therapies in human medicine. What appears to be lacking however, are similar efforts into researching the application of those alternatives, such as (bacterio)phage therapy, in veterinary contexts. Agriculture is still undoubtedly the most prominent consumer of antibiotics, with up to 70% of annual antibiotic usage attributed to this sector, despite policies to reduce their use in food animals. This not only increases the risk of resistant infections spreading from farm to community but also the risk that animals may acquire species-specific infections that subvert treatment. While these diseases may not directly affect human welfare, they greatly affect the profit margin of industries reliant on livestock due to the cost of treatments and (more frequently) the losses associated with animal death. This means actively combatting animal infection not only benefits animal welfare but also global economies. In particular, targeting recurring or chronic conditions associated with certain livestock has the potential to greatly reduce financial losses. This can be achieved by developing novel diagnostics to quickly identify ill animals alongside the design of novel therapies. To explore this concept further, this review employs Johne's disease, a chronic gastroenteritis condition that affects ruminants, as a case study to exemplify the benefits of rapid diagnostics and effective treatment of chronic disease, with particular regard to the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of phage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M O'Connell
- Department of Biological Sciences, Munster Technological University, Rossa Avenue, Bishopstown, Cork, T12 P928, Ireland
| | - Aidan Coffey
- Department of Biological Sciences, Munster Technological University, Rossa Avenue, Bishopstown, Cork, T12 P928, Ireland
| | - Jim M O'Mahony
- Department of Biological Sciences, Munster Technological University, Rossa Avenue, Bishopstown, Cork, T12 P928, Ireland
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17
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Fu J, Li Y, Zhao L, Wu C, He Z. Characterization of vB_ValM_PVA8, a broad-host-range bacteriophage infecting Vibrio alginolyticus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1105924. [PMID: 37250064 PMCID: PMC10213691 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1105924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Phage therapy was taken as an alternative strategy to antibiotics in shrimp farming for the control of Vibrio species of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio alginolyticus, which cause substantial mortality and significant economic losses. In this study, a new Vibrio phage vB_ValM_PVA8 (PVA8), which could efficiently infect pathogenic isolates of V. alginolyticus and V. parahaemolyticus, was isolated from sewage water and characterized by microbiological and in silico genomic analyses. The phage was characterized to be a member of the Straboviridae family with elongated head and contractile tail by transmission electron microscopy. Genome sequencing showed that PVA8 had a 246,348-bp double-stranded DNA genome with a G + C content of 42.6%. It harbored totally 388 putative open reading frames (ORFs), among them 92 (23.71%) assigned to functional genes. Up to 27 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes were found in the genome, and the genes for virulence, antibiotic resistance, and lysogeny were not detected. NCBI genomic blasting results and the phylogenetic analysis based on the sequences of the large terminase subunits and the DNA polymerase indicated that PVA8 shared considerable similarity with Vibrio phage V09 and bacteriophage KVP40. The phage had a latent period of 20 min and a burst size of 309 PFUs/infected cell with the host V. alginolyticus, and it was stable over a broad pH range (4.0-11.0) and a wide temperature span (-80°C to 60°C), respectively, which may benefit its feasibility for phage therapy. In addition, it had the minimum multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 0.0000001, which revealed its strong multiplication capacity. The shrimp cultivation lab trials demonstrated that PVA8 could be applied in treating pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus infection disease of shrimp with a survival rate of 88.89% comparing to that of 34.43% in the infected group, and the pond application trails confirmed that the implementation of PVA8 could rapidly yet effectively reduce the level of the Vibrio. Taken together, PVA8 may be potential to be explored as a promising biological agent for Vibrio control in aquaculture farming industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyun Fu
- College of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
- Marine Biomedical Research Institute of Qingdao Co., Ltd., Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Bioantai Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Qingdao, China
| | - Ying Li
- College of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Lihong Zhao
- College of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Chunguang Wu
- College of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Bioantai Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Qingdao, China
| | - Zengguo He
- College of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
- Marine Biomedical Research Institute of Qingdao Co., Ltd., Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Bioantai Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Qingdao, China
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18
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Cambillau C, Goulet A. Exploring Host-Binding Machineries of Mycobacteriophages with AlphaFold2. J Virol 2023; 97:e0179322. [PMID: 36916948 PMCID: PMC10062164 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01793-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Although more than 12,000 bacteriophages infecting mycobacteria (mycobacteriophages) have been isolated so far, there is a knowledge gap on their structure-function relationships. Here, we have explored the architecture of host-binding machineries from seven representative mycobacteriophages of the Siphoviridae family infecting Mycobacterium smegmatis, Mycobacterium abscessus, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, using AlphaFold2 (AF2). AF2 enables confident structural analyses of large and flexible biological assemblies resistant to experimental methods, thereby opening new avenues to shed light on phage structure and function. Our results highlight the modularity and structural diversity of siphophage host-binding machineries that recognize host-specific receptors at the onset of viral infection. Interestingly, the studied mycobacteriophages' host-binding machineries present unique features compared with those of phages infecting other Gram-positive actinobacteria. Although they all assemble the classical Dit (distal tail), Tal (tail-associated lysin), and receptor-binding proteins, five of them contain two potential additional adhesion proteins. Moreover, we have identified brush-like domains formed of multiple polyglycine helices which expose hydrophobic residues as potential receptor-binding domains. These polyglycine-rich domains, which have been observed in only five native proteins, may be a hallmark of mycobacteriophages' host-binding machineries, and they may be more common in nature than expected. Altogether, the unique composition of mycobacteriophages' host-binding machineries indicate they might have evolved to bind to the peculiar mycobacterial cell envelope, which is rich in polysaccharides and mycolic acids. This work provides a rational framework to efficiently produce recombinant proteins or protein domains and test their host-binding function and, hence, to shed light on molecular mechanisms used by mycobacteriophages to infect their host. IMPORTANCE Mycobacteria include both saprophytes, such as the model system Mycobacterium smegmatis, and pathogens, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium abscessus, that are poorly responsive to antibiotic treatments and pose a global public health problem. Mycobacteriophages have been collected at a very large scale over the last decade, and they have proven to be valuable tools for mycobacteria genetic manipulation, rapid diagnostics, and infection treatment. Yet, molecular mechanisms used by mycobacteriophages to infect their host remain poorly understood. Therefore, exploring the structural diversity of mycobacteriophages' host-binding machineries is important not only to better understand viral diversity and bacteriophage-host interactions, but also to rationally develop biotechnological tools. With the powerful protein structure prediction software AlphaFold2, which was publicly released a year ago, it is now possible to gain structural and functional insights on such challenging assemblies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Cambillau
- School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- AlphaGraphix, Formiguères, France
| | - Adeline Goulet
- Laboratoire d’Ingénierie des Systèmes Macromoléculaires, Institut de Microbiologie, Bioénergies et Biotechnologie, CNRS and Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
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19
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Dulberger CL, Guerrero-Bustamante CA, Owen SV, Wilson S, Wuo MG, Garlena RA, Serpa LA, Russell DA, Zhu J, Braunecker BJ, Squyres GR, Baym M, Kiessling LL, Garner EC, Rubin EJ, Hatfull GF. Mycobacterial nucleoid-associated protein Lsr2 is required for productive mycobacteriophage infection. Nat Microbiol 2023; 8:695-710. [PMID: 36823286 PMCID: PMC10066036 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-023-01333-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
Mycobacteriophages are a diverse group of viruses infecting Mycobacterium with substantial therapeutic potential. However, as this potential becomes realized, the molecular details of phage infection and mechanisms of resistance remain ill-defined. Here we use live-cell fluorescence microscopy to visualize the spatiotemporal dynamics of mycobacteriophage infection in single cells and populations, showing that infection is dependent on the host nucleoid-associated Lsr2 protein. Mycobacteriophages preferentially adsorb at Mycobacterium smegmatis sites of new cell wall synthesis and following DNA injection, Lsr2 reorganizes away from host replication foci to establish zones of phage DNA replication (ZOPR). Cells lacking Lsr2 proceed through to cell lysis when infected but fail to generate consecutive phage bursts that trigger epidemic spread of phage particles to neighbouring cells. Many mycobacteriophages code for their own Lsr2-related proteins, and although their roles are unknown, they do not rescue the loss of host Lsr2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles L Dulberger
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Siân V Owen
- Department of Biomedical Informatics and Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sean Wilson
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Michael G Wuo
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Rebecca A Garlena
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Lexi A Serpa
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Daniel A Russell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Junhao Zhu
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ben J Braunecker
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Georgia R Squyres
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Michael Baym
- Department of Biomedical Informatics and Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Laura L Kiessling
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ethan C Garner
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Eric J Rubin
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Graham F Hatfull
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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20
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Unusual prophages in Mycobacterium abscessus genomes and strain variations in phage susceptibilities. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0281769. [PMID: 36795728 PMCID: PMC9934374 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Mycobacterium abscessus infections are relatively common in patients with cystic fibrosis and are clinically challenging, with frequent intrinsic resistance to antibiotics. Therapeutic treatment with bacteriophages offers some promise but faces many challenges including substantial variation in phage susceptibilities among clinical isolates, and the need to personalize therapies for individual patients. Many strains are not susceptible to any phages or are not efficiently killed by lytic phages, including all smooth colony morphotype strains tested to-date. Here, we analyze a set of new M. abscessus isolates for the genomic relationships, prophage content, spontaneous phage release, and phage susceptibilities. We find that prophages are common in these M. abscessus genomes, but some have unusual arrangements, including tandemly integrated prophages, internal duplications, and they participate in active exchange of polymorphic toxin-immunity cassettes secreted by ESX systems. Relatively few strains are efficiently infected by any mycobacteriophages, and the infection patterns do not reflect the overall phylogenetic relationships of the strains. Characterization of these strains and their phage susceptibility profiles will help to advance the broader application of phage therapies for NTM infections.
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Kok DN, Hendrickson HL. Save our bees: bacteriophages to protect honey bees against the pathogen causing American foulbrood in New Zealand. NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1080/03014223.2022.2157847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Danielle N. Kok
- School of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
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22
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Phage Therapy for Nontuberculous Mycobacteria: Challenges and Opportunities. Pulm Ther 2022; 9:91-107. [PMID: 36583829 PMCID: PMC9931961 DOI: 10.1007/s41030-022-00210-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-tuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) infections are often clinically challenging, with lengthy antibiotic regimens that fail to resolve the infections with few good outcomes remaining. Mycobacteriophages-viruses that infect Mycobacterium hosts-show promise as therapeutic agents for NTM infections and have been used in 20 compassionate use cases. Favorable outcomes were observed in many but not all cases, although the phages show exceptional safety profiles and no evidence of phage resistance was observed, even when only a single phage was administered. Phage-specific antibodies are commonly present following intravenous administration and are often neutralizing for the phage in vitro. However, phage neutralization does not consistently correlate with poor treatment outcomes and may not be a therapeutic limitation in all patients, even when immunocompetent. Currently, the therapeutic potential of phages is substantially limited by the great variation in phage susceptibility and a relatively small repertoire of therapeutically useful phages. As many as 45% of clinical isolates can have a smooth colony morphotype, and phages that both efficiently infect and kill these strains have yet to be described. In contrast, ~ 75% of rough strains are susceptible to and killed by one or more phages and therapeutic options can be considered on a compassionate use basis. Although therapies must currently be personalized, elucidating the determinants of phage host specificity, expanding the useful phage repertoire, and identifying the key determinants of clinical outcomes will reveal their full therapeutic potential.
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23
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Complete Genome Sequences of Microbacterium paraoxydans Phages Cassita and Fransoyer. Microbiol Resour Announc 2022; 11:e0088522. [PMID: 36287072 PMCID: PMC9670968 DOI: 10.1128/mra.00885-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Phages Cassita and Fransoyer were isolated from soil in northwestern Wisconsin using Microbacterium paraoxydans as the host. The genomes of Cassita and Fransoyer are 61,868 bp and 62,277 bp, respectively, with direct terminal repeats. Both phages exhibit siphoviral morphology and are predicted to have lytic life cycles.
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24
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Howell AA, Versoza CJ, Cerna G, Johnston T, Kakde S, Karuku K, Kowal M, Monahan J, Murray J, Nguyen T, Sanchez Carreon A, Streiff A, Su B, Youkhana F, Munig S, Patel Z, So M, Sy M, Weiss S, Pfeifer SP. Phylogenomic analyses and host range prediction of cluster P mycobacteriophages. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2022; 12:jkac244. [PMID: 36094333 PMCID: PMC9635641 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkac244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Bacteriophages, infecting bacterial hosts in every environment on our planet, are a driver of adaptive evolution in bacterial communities. At the same time, the host range of many bacteriophages-and thus one of the selective pressures acting on complex microbial systems in nature-remains poorly characterized. Here, we computationally inferred the putative host ranges of 40 cluster P mycobacteriophages, including members from 6 subclusters (P1-P6). A series of comparative genomic analyses revealed that mycobacteriophages of subcluster P1 are restricted to the Mycobacterium genus, whereas mycobacteriophages of subclusters P2-P6 are likely also able to infect other genera, several of which are commonly associated with human disease. Further genomic analysis highlighted that the majority of cluster P mycobacteriophages harbor a conserved integration-dependent immunity system, hypothesized to be the ancestral state of a genetic switch that controls the shift between lytic and lysogenic life cycles-a temperate characteristic that impedes their usage in antibacterial applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Gabriella Cerna
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
- Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Tyler Johnston
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Shriya Kakde
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Keith Karuku
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Maria Kowal
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Jasmine Monahan
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Jillian Murray
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Teresa Nguyen
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Aurely Sanchez Carreon
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
- Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Abigail Streiff
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Blake Su
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
- School of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Faith Youkhana
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Saige Munig
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Zeel Patel
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Minerva So
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Makena Sy
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Sarah Weiss
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Susanne P Pfeifer
- Corresponding author: Center for Evolution and Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA.
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Genomic Characterization of the Cluster CZ4 Gordonia terrae Phage Oregano. Microbiol Resour Announc 2022; 11:e0067922. [PMID: 36098529 PMCID: PMC9584220 DOI: 10.1128/mra.00679-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Oregano is a novel cluster CZ4 bacteriophage isolated from the soil using the bacterial host Gordonia terrae. The Oregano genome is 47,575 bp long and encodes two tyrosine integrases and a toxin/antitoxin system. It shares an immunity repressor with both Gordonia and Mycobacterium phages that spans 7 clusters.
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Mitra S, Sultana SA, Prova SR, Uddin TM, Islam F, Das R, Nainu F, Sartini S, Chidambaram K, Alhumaydhi FA, Emran TB, Simal-Gandara J. Investigating forthcoming strategies to tackle deadly superbugs: current status and future vision. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther 2022; 20:1309-1332. [PMID: 36069241 DOI: 10.1080/14787210.2022.2122442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Superbugs are microorganisms that cause disease and have increased resistance to the treatments typically used against infections. Recently, antibiotic resistance development has been more rapid than the pace at which antibiotics are manufactured, leading to refractory infections of pathogenic bacteria. Scientists are concerned that a particularly virulent and lethal "superbug" will one day join the ranks of existing bacteria that cause incurable diseases, resulting in a global health disaster on the scale of the Black Death. AREAS COVERED Therefore, this study highlights the current developments in the management of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and recommends strategies for further regulating antibiotic-resistant microorganisms associated with the healthcare system. This review also addresses the origins, prevalence, and pathogenicity of superbugs, and the design of antibacterial against these growing multidrug-resistant organisms from a medical perspective. EXPERT OPINION It is recommended that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) should be addressed by limiting human-to-human transmission of resistant strains, lowering the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, and developing novel antimicrobials. Using the risk-factor domains framework from this study would assure that not only clinical but also community and hospital-specific factors are covered, lowering the chance of confounders. Extensive subjective research is necessary to fully understand the underlying factors and uncover previously unexplored areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saikat Mitra
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
| | - Sifat Ara Sultana
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
| | - Shajuthi Rahman Prova
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
| | - Tanvir Mahtab Uddin
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
| | - Fahadul Islam
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil International University, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh
| | - Rajib Das
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
| | - Firzan Nainu
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, South Sulawesi 90245, Indonesia
| | - Sartini Sartini
- Department of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Hasanuddin University, Makassar 90245, Indonesia
| | - Kumarappan Chidambaram
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha 62529, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fahad A Alhumaydhi
- Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 52571, Saudi Arabia
| | - Talha Bin Emran
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil International University, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh.,Department of Pharmacy, BGC Trust University Bangladesh, Chittagong 4381, Bangladesh
| | - Jesus Simal-Gandara
- Nutrition and Bromatology Group, Department of Analytical and Food Chemistry, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, University of Vigo - Ourense Campus, E32004 Ourense, Spain
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Alebouyeh S, Weinrick B, Achkar JM, García MJ, Prados-Rosales R. Feasibility of novel approaches to detect viable Mycobacterium tuberculosis within the spectrum of the tuberculosis disease. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 9:965359. [PMID: 36072954 PMCID: PMC9441758 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.965359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is a global disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and is manifested as a continuum spectrum of infectious states. Both, the most common and clinically asymptomatic latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), and the symptomatic disease, active tuberculosis (TB), are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Such binary classification is insufficient to describe the existing clinical heterogeneity, which includes incipient and subclinical TB. The absence of clinically TB-related symptoms and the extremely low bacterial burden are features shared by LTBI, incipient and subclinical TB states. In addition, diagnosis relies on cytokine release after antigenic T cell stimulation, yet several studies have shown that a high proportion of individuals with immunoreactivity never developed disease, suggesting that they were no longer infected. LTBI is estimated to affect to approximately one fourth of the human population and, according to WHO data, reactivation of LTBI is the main responsible of TB cases in developed countries. Assuming the drawbacks associated to the current diagnostic tests at this part of the disease spectrum, properly assessing individuals at real risk of developing TB is a major need. Further, it would help to efficiently design preventive treatment. This quest would be achievable if information about bacterial viability during human silent Mtb infection could be determined. Here, we have evaluated the feasibility of new approaches to detect viable bacilli across the full spectrum of TB disease. We focused on methods that specifically can measure host-independent parameters relying on the viability of Mtb either by its direct or indirect detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sogol Alebouyeh
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health and Microbiology, Autonoma University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Jacqueline M. Achkar
- Departments of Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
| | - Maria J. García
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health and Microbiology, Autonoma University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- *Correspondence: Maria J. García,
| | - Rafael Prados-Rosales
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health and Microbiology, Autonoma University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Rafael Prados-Rosales,
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Heller D, Amaya I, Mohamed A, Ali I, Mavrodi D, Deighan P, Sivanathan V. Systematic overexpression of genes encoded by mycobacteriophage Waterfoul reveals novel inhibitors of mycobacterial growth. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2022; 12:jkac140. [PMID: 35727726 PMCID: PMC9339283 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkac140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Bacteriophages represent an enormous reservoir of novel genes, many of which are unrelated to existing entries in public databases and cannot be assigned a predicted function. Characterization of these genes can provide important insights into the intricacies of phage-host interactions and may offer new strategies to manipulate bacterial growth and behavior. Overexpression is a useful tool in the study of gene-mediated effects, and we describe here the construction of a plasmid-based overexpression library of a complete set of genes for Waterfoul, a mycobacteriophage closely related to those infecting clinically important strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and/or Mycobacterium abscessus. The arrayed Waterfoul gene library was systematically screened in a plate-based cytotoxicity assay, identifying a diverse set of 32 Waterfoul gene products capable of inhibiting the growth of the host Mycobacterium smegmatis and providing a first look at the frequency and distribution of cytotoxic products encoded within a single mycobacteriophage genome. Several of these Waterfoul gene products were observed to confer potent anti-mycobacterial effects, making them interesting candidates for follow-up mechanistic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Heller
- Department of Science Education, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20185, USA
| | - Isabel Amaya
- Department of Science Education, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20185, USA
| | - Aleem Mohamed
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
| | - Ilzat Ali
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
| | - Dmitri Mavrodi
- Center for Molecular & Cellular Biosciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA
| | - Padraig Deighan
- Department of Biology, Emmanuel College, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Viknesh Sivanathan
- Department of Science Education, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20185, USA
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29
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Versoza CJ, Howell AA, Aftab T, Blanco M, Brar A, Chaffee E, Howell N, Leach W, Lobatos J, Luca M, Maddineni M, Mirji R, Mitra C, Strasser M, Munig S, Patel Z, So M, Sy M, Weiss S, Pfeifer SP. Comparative Genomics of Closely-Related Gordonia Cluster DR Bacteriophages. Viruses 2022; 14:v14081647. [PMID: 36016269 PMCID: PMC9413003 DOI: 10.3390/v14081647] [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: 05/16/2022] [Revised: 07/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteriophages infecting bacteria of the genus Gordonia have increasingly gained interest in the scientific community for their diverse applications in agriculture, biotechnology, and medicine, ranging from biocontrol agents in wastewater management to the treatment of opportunistic pathogens in pulmonary disease patients. However, due to the time and costs associated with experimental isolation and cultivation, host ranges for many bacteriophages remain poorly characterized, hindering a more efficient usage of bacteriophages in these areas. Here, we perform a series of computational genomic inferences to predict the putative host ranges of all Gordonia cluster DR bacteriophages known to date. Our analyses suggest that BiggityBass (as well as several of its close relatives) is likely able to infect host bacteria from a wide range of genera—from Gordonia to Nocardia to Rhodococcus, making it a suitable candidate for future phage therapy and wastewater treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyril J. Versoza
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA;
| | - Abigail A. Howell
- Biodesign Institute, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA;
| | - Tanya Aftab
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA; (T.A.); (M.B.); (A.B.); (E.C.); (N.H.); (J.L.); (M.L.); (R.M.); (C.M.); (M.S.); (S.M.); (Z.P.); (M.S.); (M.S.); (S.W.)
| | - Madison Blanco
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA; (T.A.); (M.B.); (A.B.); (E.C.); (N.H.); (J.L.); (M.L.); (R.M.); (C.M.); (M.S.); (S.M.); (Z.P.); (M.S.); (M.S.); (S.W.)
| | - Akarshi Brar
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA; (T.A.); (M.B.); (A.B.); (E.C.); (N.H.); (J.L.); (M.L.); (R.M.); (C.M.); (M.S.); (S.M.); (Z.P.); (M.S.); (M.S.); (S.W.)
| | - Elaine Chaffee
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA; (T.A.); (M.B.); (A.B.); (E.C.); (N.H.); (J.L.); (M.L.); (R.M.); (C.M.); (M.S.); (S.M.); (Z.P.); (M.S.); (M.S.); (S.W.)
| | - Nicholas Howell
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA; (T.A.); (M.B.); (A.B.); (E.C.); (N.H.); (J.L.); (M.L.); (R.M.); (C.M.); (M.S.); (S.M.); (Z.P.); (M.S.); (M.S.); (S.W.)
- School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA;
| | - Willow Leach
- School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA;
| | - Jackelyn Lobatos
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA; (T.A.); (M.B.); (A.B.); (E.C.); (N.H.); (J.L.); (M.L.); (R.M.); (C.M.); (M.S.); (S.M.); (Z.P.); (M.S.); (M.S.); (S.W.)
| | - Michael Luca
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA; (T.A.); (M.B.); (A.B.); (E.C.); (N.H.); (J.L.); (M.L.); (R.M.); (C.M.); (M.S.); (S.M.); (Z.P.); (M.S.); (M.S.); (S.W.)
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA;
| | - Meghna Maddineni
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA;
| | - Ruchira Mirji
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA; (T.A.); (M.B.); (A.B.); (E.C.); (N.H.); (J.L.); (M.L.); (R.M.); (C.M.); (M.S.); (S.M.); (Z.P.); (M.S.); (M.S.); (S.W.)
| | - Corinne Mitra
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA; (T.A.); (M.B.); (A.B.); (E.C.); (N.H.); (J.L.); (M.L.); (R.M.); (C.M.); (M.S.); (S.M.); (Z.P.); (M.S.); (M.S.); (S.W.)
| | - Maria Strasser
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA; (T.A.); (M.B.); (A.B.); (E.C.); (N.H.); (J.L.); (M.L.); (R.M.); (C.M.); (M.S.); (S.M.); (Z.P.); (M.S.); (M.S.); (S.W.)
| | - Saige Munig
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA; (T.A.); (M.B.); (A.B.); (E.C.); (N.H.); (J.L.); (M.L.); (R.M.); (C.M.); (M.S.); (S.M.); (Z.P.); (M.S.); (M.S.); (S.W.)
| | - Zeel Patel
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA; (T.A.); (M.B.); (A.B.); (E.C.); (N.H.); (J.L.); (M.L.); (R.M.); (C.M.); (M.S.); (S.M.); (Z.P.); (M.S.); (M.S.); (S.W.)
| | - Minerva So
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA; (T.A.); (M.B.); (A.B.); (E.C.); (N.H.); (J.L.); (M.L.); (R.M.); (C.M.); (M.S.); (S.M.); (Z.P.); (M.S.); (M.S.); (S.W.)
| | - Makena Sy
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA; (T.A.); (M.B.); (A.B.); (E.C.); (N.H.); (J.L.); (M.L.); (R.M.); (C.M.); (M.S.); (S.M.); (Z.P.); (M.S.); (M.S.); (S.W.)
| | - Sarah Weiss
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA; (T.A.); (M.B.); (A.B.); (E.C.); (N.H.); (J.L.); (M.L.); (R.M.); (C.M.); (M.S.); (S.M.); (Z.P.); (M.S.); (M.S.); (S.W.)
| | - Susanne P. Pfeifer
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA;
- Correspondence:
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A Review on Mycobacteriophages: From Classification to Applications. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11070777. [PMID: 35890022 PMCID: PMC9317374 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11070777] [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: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Mycobacterial infections are a group of life-threatening conditions triggered by fast- or slow-growing mycobacteria. Some mycobacteria, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, promote the deaths of millions of lives throughout the world annually. The control of mycobacterial infections is influenced by the challenges faced in the diagnosis of these bacteria and the capability of these pathogens to develop resistance against common antibiotics. Detection of mycobacterial infections is always demanding due to the intracellular nature of these pathogens that, along with the lipid-enriched structure of the cell wall, complicates the access to the internal contents of mycobacterial cells. Moreover, recent studies depicted that more than 20% of M. tuberculosis (Mtb) infections are multi-drug resistant (MDR), and only 50% of positive MDR-Mtb cases are responsive to standard treatments. Similarly, the susceptibility of nontuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM) to first-line tuberculosis antibiotics has also declined in recent years. Exploiting mycobacteriophages as viruses that infect mycobacteria has significantly accelerated the diagnosis and treatment of mycobacterial infections. This is because mycobacteriophages, regardless of their cycle type (temperate/lytic), can tackle barriers in the mycobacterial cell wall and make the infected bacteria replicate phage DNA along with their DNA. Although the infectivity of the majority of discovered mycobacteriophages has been evaluated in non-pathogenic M. smegmatis, more research is still ongoing to find mycobacteriophages specific to pathogenic mycobacteria, such as phage DS6A, which has been shown to be able to infect members of the M. tuberculosis complex. Accordingly, this review aimed to introduce some potential mycobacteriophages in the research, specifically those that are infective to the three troublesome mycobacteria, M. tuberculosis, M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), and M. abscessus, highlighting their theranostic applications in medicine.
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Abstract
Mycobacteriophages-bacteriophages infecting Mycobacterium hosts-contribute substantially to our understanding of viral diversity and evolution, provide resources for advancing Mycobacterium genetics, are the basis of high-impact science education programs, and show considerable therapeutic potential. Over 10,000 individual mycobacteriophages have been isolated by high school and undergraduate students using the model organism Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2155 and 2,100 have been completely sequenced, giving a high-resolution view of the phages that infect a single common host strain. The phage genomes are revealed to be highly diverse and architecturally mosaic and are replete with genes of unknown function. Mycobacteriophages have provided many widely used tools for Mycobacterium genetics including integration-proficient vectors and recombineering systems, as well as systems for efficient delivery of reporter genes, transposons, and allelic exchange substrates. The genomic insights and engineering tools have facilitated exploration of phages for treatment of Mycobacterium infections, although their full therapeutic potential has yet to be realized.
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Nick JA, Dedrick RM, Gray AL, Vladar EK, Smith BE, Freeman KG, Malcolm KC, Epperson LE, Hasan NA, Hendrix J, Callahan K, Walton K, Vestal B, Wheeler E, Rysavy NM, Poch K, Caceres S, Lovell VK, Hisert KB, de Moura VC, Chatterjee D, De P, Weakly N, Martiniano SL, Lynch DA, Daley CL, Strong M, Jia F, Hatfull GF, Davidson RM. Host and pathogen response to bacteriophage engineered against Mycobacterium abscessus lung infection. Cell 2022; 185:1860-1874.e12. [PMID: 35568033 PMCID: PMC9840467 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.04.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 46.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 03/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Two mycobacteriophages were administered intravenously to a male with treatment-refractory Mycobacterium abscessus pulmonary infection and severe cystic fibrosis lung disease. The phages were engineered to enhance their capacity to lyse M. abscessus and were selected specifically as the most effective against the subject's bacterial isolate. In the setting of compassionate use, the evidence of phage-induced lysis was observed using molecular and metabolic assays combined with clinical assessments. M. abscessus isolates pre and post-phage treatment demonstrated genetic stability, with a general decline in diversity and no increased resistance to phage or antibiotics. The anti-phage neutralizing antibody titers to one phage increased with time but did not prevent clinical improvement throughout the course of treatment. The subject received lung transplantation on day 379, and systematic culturing of the explanted lung did not detect M. abscessus. This study describes the course and associated markers of a successful phage treatment of M. abscessus in advanced lung disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerry A Nick
- Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA; Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
| | - Rebekah M Dedrick
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Alice L Gray
- Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Eszter K Vladar
- Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Bailey E Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Krista G Freeman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Kenneth C Malcolm
- Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - L Elaine Epperson
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Nabeeh A Hasan
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Jo Hendrix
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA; Computational Bioscience Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Kimberly Callahan
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Kendra Walton
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Brian Vestal
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Emily Wheeler
- Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Noel M Rysavy
- Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Katie Poch
- Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Silvia Caceres
- Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Valerie K Lovell
- Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Katherine B Hisert
- Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA; Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | | | - Delphi Chatterjee
- Mycobacteria Research Laboratories, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, 1682 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Prithwiraj De
- Mycobacteria Research Laboratories, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, 1682 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Natalia Weakly
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Stacey L Martiniano
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Colorado, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - David A Lynch
- Department of Radiology, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Charles L Daley
- Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA; Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Michael Strong
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Fan Jia
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Graham F Hatfull
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
| | - Rebecca M Davidson
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
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Gp29 LysA of mycobacteriophage TM4 can hydrolyze peptidoglycan through an N-acetyl-muramoyl-L-alanine amidase activity. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2022; 1870:140745. [PMID: 34906734 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2021.140745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Bacteriophage endolysins are crucial for progeny release at the end of the lytic cycle. Mycobacteriophage's genomes carry a lysin A essential gene, whose product cleaves the peptidoglycan (PG) layer and a lysin B, coding for an esterase, that cleaves the linkage between the mycolic acids and the arabinogalactan-PG complex. Lysin A mycobacteriophage proteins are highly modular and in gp29 (LysA) of phage TM4 three distinctive domains were identified. By bioinformatics analysis the central module was previously found to be similar to an amidase-2 domain family with an N-acetylmuramoyl -L-alanine amidase activity. We demonstrated experimentally that purified LysA is able to lyse a suspension of Micrococcus lysodeikticus and can promote cell lysis when expressed in E. coli and Mycobacterium smegmatis. After incubation of LysA with MDP (Muramyl dipeptide, N-acetyl-muramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine) we detected the presence of N-acetylmuramic acid (NAcMur) and L-Ala- D- isoGlutamine (L-Ala-D-isoGln) corroborating the proposed muramidase activity of this enzyme. This protein was stabilized at acidic pH in the presence of Zn consistent with the increase of the enzymatic activity under these conditions. By homology modeling, we predicted that the Zn ion is coordinated by His 226, His 335, and Asp 347 and we also identified the amino acid Glu 290 as the catalytic residue. LysA activity was completely abolished in derived mutants on these key residues, suggesting that the PG hydrolysis solely relies on the central domain of the protein.
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Gauthier CH, Abad L, Venbakkam AK, Malnak J, Russell D, Hatfull G. OUP accepted manuscript. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:e75. [PMID: 35451479 PMCID: PMC9303363 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Advances in genome sequencing have produced hundreds of thousands of bacterial genome sequences, many of which have integrated prophages derived from temperate bacteriophages. These prophages play key roles by influencing bacterial metabolism, pathogenicity, antibiotic resistance, and defense against viral attack. However, they vary considerably even among related bacterial strains, and they are challenging to identify computationally and to extract precisely for comparative genomic analyses. Here, we describe DEPhT, a multimodal tool for prophage discovery and extraction. It has three run modes that facilitate rapid screening of large numbers of bacterial genomes, precise extraction of prophage sequences, and prophage annotation. DEPhT uses genomic architectural features that discriminate between phage and bacterial sequences for efficient prophage discovery, and targeted homology searches for precise prophage extraction. DEPhT is designed for prophage discovery in Mycobacterium genomes but can be adapted broadly to other bacteria. We deploy DEPhT to demonstrate that prophages are prevalent in Mycobacterium strains but are absent not only from the few well-characterized Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains, but also are absent from all ∼30 000 sequenced M. tuberculosis strains.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ananya K Venbakkam
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Julia Malnak
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Daniel A Russell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Graham F Hatfull
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +1 412 624 6975;
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Freeman KG, Wetzel KS, Zhang Y, Zack KM, Jacobs-Sera D, Walters SM, Barbeau DJ, McElroy AK, Williams JV, Hatfull GF. A Mycobacteriophage-Based Vaccine Platform: SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Expression and Display. Microorganisms 2021; 9:2414. [PMID: 34946016 PMCID: PMC8704799 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9122414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The explosion of SARS-CoV-2 infections in 2020 prompted a flurry of activity in vaccine development and exploration of various vaccine platforms, some well-established and some new. Phage-based vaccines were described previously, and we explored the possibility of using mycobacteriophages as a platform for displaying antigens of SARS-CoV-2 or other infectious agents. The potential advantages of using mycobacteriophages are that a large and diverse variety of them have been described and genomically characterized, engineering tools are available, and there is the capacity to display up to 700 antigen copies on a single particle approximately 100 nm in size. The phage body may itself be a good adjuvant, and the phages can be propagated easily, cheaply, and to high purity. Furthermore, the recent use of these phages therapeutically, including by intravenous administration, suggests an excellent safety profile, although efficacy can be restricted by neutralizing antibodies. We describe here the potent immunogenicity of mycobacteriophage Bxb1, and Bxb1 recombinants displaying SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista G. Freeman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA; (K.G.F.); (K.S.W.); (K.M.Z.); (D.J.-S.)
| | - Katherine S. Wetzel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA; (K.G.F.); (K.S.W.); (K.M.Z.); (D.J.-S.)
| | - Yu Zhang
- UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA; (Y.Z.); (S.M.W.); (A.K.M.); (J.V.W.)
- Center for Vaccine Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA;
| | - Kira M. Zack
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA; (K.G.F.); (K.S.W.); (K.M.Z.); (D.J.-S.)
| | - Deborah Jacobs-Sera
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA; (K.G.F.); (K.S.W.); (K.M.Z.); (D.J.-S.)
| | - Sara M. Walters
- UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA; (Y.Z.); (S.M.W.); (A.K.M.); (J.V.W.)
| | - Dominique J. Barbeau
- Center for Vaccine Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA;
| | - Anita K. McElroy
- UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA; (Y.Z.); (S.M.W.); (A.K.M.); (J.V.W.)
- Center for Vaccine Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA;
| | - John V. Williams
- UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA; (Y.Z.); (S.M.W.); (A.K.M.); (J.V.W.)
- Center for Vaccine Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA;
| | - Graham F. Hatfull
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA; (K.G.F.); (K.S.W.); (K.M.Z.); (D.J.-S.)
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Hatfull GF. Wildy Prize Lecture, 2020-2021: Who wouldn't want to discover a new virus? MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2021; 167. [PMID: 34468308 PMCID: PMC8549241 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Innovations in science education are desperately needed to find ways to engage and interest students early in their undergraduate careers. Exposing students to authentic research experiences is highly beneficial, but finding ways to include all types of students and to do this at large scale is especially challenging. An attractive solution is the concept of an inclusive research education community (iREC) in which centralized research leadership and administration supports multiple institutions, including diverse groups of schools and universities, faculty and students. The Science Education Alliance Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Sciences (SEA-PHAGES) programme is an excellent example of an iREC, in which students explore viral diversity and evolution through discovery and genomic analysis of novel bacteriophages. The SEA-PHAGES programme has proven to be sustainable, to be implemented at large scale, and to enhance student persistence in science, as well as to produce substantial research advances. Discovering a new virus with the potential for new biological insights and clinical applications is inherently exciting. Who wouldn't want to discover a new virus?
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Affiliation(s)
- Graham F Hatfull
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
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37
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Johansen MD, Alcaraz M, Dedrick RM, Roquet-Banères F, Hamela C, Hatfull GF, Kremer L. Mycobacteriophage-antibiotic therapy promotes enhanced clearance of drug-resistant Mycobacterium abscessus. Dis Model Mech 2021; 14:272140. [PMID: 34530447 PMCID: PMC8461822 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.049159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Infection by multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium abscessus is increasingly prevalent in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, leaving clinicians with few therapeutic options. A compassionate study showed the clinical improvement of a CF patient with a disseminated M. abscessus (GD01) infection, following injection of a phage cocktail, including phage Muddy. Broadening the use of phage therapy in patients as a potential antibacterial alternative necessitates the development of biological models to improve the reliability and successful prediction of phage therapy in the clinic. Herein, we demonstrate that Muddy very efficiently lyses GD01 in vitro, an effect substantially increased with standard drugs. Remarkably, this cooperative activity was retained in an M. abscessus model of infection in CFTR-depleted zebrafish, associated with a striking increase in larval survival and reduction in pathological signs. The activity of Muddy was lost in macrophage-ablated larvae, suggesting that successful phage therapy relies on functional innate immunity. CFTR-depleted zebrafish represent a practical model to rapidly assess phage treatment efficacy against M. abscessus isolates, allowing the identification of drug combinations accompanying phage therapy and treatment prediction in patients. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper. Summary: A zebrafish model of infection was developed to evaluate the in vivo cooperative activity of specific phages and antibiotics for the treatment of Mycobacterium abscessus infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matt D Johansen
- Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 9004, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier 34293, France
| | - Matthéo Alcaraz
- Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 9004, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier 34293, France
| | - Rebekah M Dedrick
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Françoise Roquet-Banères
- Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 9004, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier 34293, France
| | - Claire Hamela
- Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 9004, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier 34293, France
| | - Graham F Hatfull
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Laurent Kremer
- Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 9004, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier 34293, France.,INSERM, Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier, Montpellier 34293, France
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Abstract
Actinobacteriophages are viruses that infect bacterial hosts in the phylum Actinobacteria. More than 17,000 actinobacteriophages have been described and over 3,000 complete genome sequences reported, resulting from large-scale, high-impact, integrated research-education initiatives such as the Science Education Alliance Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Sciences (SEA-PHAGES) program. Their genomic diversity is enormous; actinobacteriophages comprise many architecturally mosaic genomes with distinct DNA sequences. Their genome diversity is driven by the highly dynamic interactions between phages and their hosts, and prophages can confer a variety of systems that defend against attack by genetically distinct phages; phages can neutralize these defense systems by coding for counter-defense proteins. These phages not only provide insights into diverse and dynamic phage populations but also have provided numerous tools for mycobacterial genetics. A case study using a three-phage cocktail to treat a patient with a drug-resistant Mycobacterium abscessus suggests that phages may have considerable potential for the therapeutic treatment of mycobacterial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graham F Hatfull
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA;
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39
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Dedrick RM, Freeman KG, Nguyen JA, Bahadirli-Talbott A, Smith BE, Wu AE, Ong AS, Lin CT, Ruppel LC, Parrish NM, Hatfull GF, Cohen KA. Potent antibody-mediated neutralization limits bacteriophage treatment of a pulmonary Mycobacterium abscessus infection. Nat Med 2021; 27:1357-1361. [PMID: 34239133 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-021-01403-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
An 81-year-old immunocompetent patient with bronchiectasis and refractory Mycobacterium abscessus lung disease was treated for 6 months with a three-phage cocktail active against the strain. In this case study of phage to lower infectious burden, intravenous administration was safe and reduced the M. abscessus sputum load tenfold within one month. However, after two months, M. abscessus counts increased as the patient mounted a robust IgM- and IgG-mediated neutralizing antibody response to the phages, which was associated with limited therapeutic efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Krista G Freeman
- Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Jan A Nguyen
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Asli Bahadirli-Talbott
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Bailey E Smith
- Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Andrew E Wu
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Aaron S Ong
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Cheng Ting Lin
- Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Lisa C Ruppel
- Investigational Pharmacy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Nicole M Parrish
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Graham F Hatfull
- Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Keira A Cohen
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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40
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Guerrero-Bustamante CA, Dedrick RM, Garlena RA, Russell DA, Hatfull GF. Toward a Phage Cocktail for Tuberculosis: Susceptibility and Tuberculocidal Action of Mycobacteriophages against Diverse Mycobacterium tuberculosis Strains. mBio 2021; 12:e00973-21. [PMID: 34016711 PMCID: PMC8263002 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00973-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The global health burden of human tuberculosis (TB) and the widespread antibiotic resistance of its causative agent Mycobacterium tuberculosis warrant new strategies for TB control. The successful use of a bacteriophage cocktail to treat a Mycobacterium abscessus infection suggests that phages could play a role in tuberculosis therapy. To assemble a phage cocktail with optimal therapeutic potential for tuberculosis, we have explored mycobacteriophage diversity to identify phages that demonstrate tuberculocidal activity and determined the phage infection profiles for a diverse set of strains spanning the major lineages of human-adapted strains of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Using a combination of genome engineering and bacteriophage genetics, we have assembled a five-phage cocktail that minimizes the emergence of phage resistance and cross-resistance to multiple phages, and which efficiently kills the M. tuberculosis strains tested. Furthermore, these phages function without antagonizing antibiotic effectiveness, and infect both isoniazid-resistant and -sensitive strains.IMPORTANCE Tuberculosis kills 1.5 million people each year, and resistance to commonly used antibiotics contributes to treatment failures. The therapeutic potential of bacteriophages against Mycobacterium tuberculosis offers prospects for shortening antibiotic regimens, provides new tools for treating multiple drug-resistant (MDR)-TB and extensively drug-resistant (XDR)-TB infections, and protects newly developed antibiotics against rapidly emerging resistance to them. Identifying a suitable suite of phages active against diverse M. tuberculosis isolates circumvents many of the barriers to initiating clinical evaluation of phages as part of the arsenal of antituberculosis therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rebekah M Dedrick
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Rebecca A Garlena
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Daniel A Russell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Graham F Hatfull
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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41
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Davies CG, Reilly K, Altermann E, Hendrickson HL. PLAN-M; Mycobacteriophage Endolysins Fused to Biodegradable Nanobeads Mitigate Mycobacterial Growth in Liquid and on Surfaces. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:562748. [PMID: 33981289 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.562748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The Mycobacteria are a genus of Actinobacteria that include human pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB). Active TB disease can spread by airborne transmission to healthcare workers and to their community. The HHMI SEA-PHAGES program has contributed to discovering bacteriophages that are able to infect M. smegmatis MC2 155, a close relative of M. tuberculosis. This collection of diverse Mycobacteriophages is an excellent resource for trialling bacteriophage-sourced enzymes in novel applications. Herein we measured the ability Mycobacteriophage endolysins to lyse their host strain when functionally fused to biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) nanobeads. PHA nanobeads facilitate both the expression and the application of enzymes to surfaces and have been demonstrated to stabilize a wide array of proteins for practical applications whilst eliminating the challenges of traditional protein purification. We selected two Lysin A and six Lysin B homologs to be functionally fused to the polyhydroxyalkanoate synthase C (PhaC). Expression of these constructs resulted in functional lysins displayed on the surface of PHA nanobeads. The lysins thus directionally displayed on nanobeads lysed up to 79% of the M. smegmatis MC2 155 population using 80 mg/mL of nanobeads in pure culture. In order to determine whether the nanobeads would be effective as a protective layer in PPE we adapted a fabric-based test and observed a maximum of 1 log loss of the cell population after 5 h of exposure on a textile (91% cell lysis). Lysin B enzymes performed better than the Lysin A enzymes as a protective barrier on textiles surface assays. These results suggest that bacterial endolysins are efficient in their action when displayed on PHA nanobeads and can cause significant population mortality in as little as 45 min. Our results provide the proof-of-principle that Mycobacteriophage endolysins can be used on functionalized nanobeads where they can protect surfaces such as personal protective equipment (PPE) that routinely come into contact with aerosolised bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney G Davies
- Massey Phage Whānau, School of Natural and Computational Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
| | | | - Eric Altermann
- AgResearch Ltd., Palmerston North, New Zealand.,Riddet Institute, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Heather L Hendrickson
- Massey Phage Whānau, School of Natural and Computational Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand.,Infectious Disease Research Centre, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
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42
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Abstract
Mycobacterium abscessus is an emerging pathogen that is often refractory to antibiotic control. Treatment is further complicated by considerable variation among clinical isolates in both their genetic constitution and their clinical manifestations. Here, we show that the prophage and plasmid mobilome is a likely contributor to this variation. Prophages and plasmids are common, abundant, and highly diverse, and code for large repertoires of genes influencing virulence, antibiotic susceptibility, and defense against viral infection. At least 85% of the strains we describe carry one or more prophages, representing at least 17 distinct and diverse sequence "clusters," integrated at 18 different attB locations. The prophages code for 19 distinct configurations of polymorphic toxin and toxin-immunity systems, each with WXG-100 motifs for export through type VII secretion systems. These are located adjacent to attachment junctions, are lysogenically expressed, and are implicated in promoting growth in infected host cells. Although the plethora of prophages and plasmids confounds the understanding of M. abscessus pathogenicity, they also provide an abundance of tools for M. abscessus engineering.IMPORTANCE Mycobacterium abscessus is an important emerging pathogen that is challenging to treat with current antibiotic regimens. There is substantial genomic variation in M. abscessus clinical isolates, but little is known about how this influences pathogenicity and in vivo growth. Much of the genomic variation is likely due to the large and varied mobilome, especially a large and diverse array of prophages and plasmids. The prophages are unrelated to previously characterized phages of mycobacteria and code for a diverse array of genes implicated in both viral defense and in vivo growth. Prophage-encoded polymorphic toxin proteins secreted via the type VII secretion system are common and highly varied and likely contribute to strain-specific pathogenesis.
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43
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Mycobacterium abscessus Strain Morphotype Determines Phage Susceptibility, the Repertoire of Therapeutically Useful Phages, and Phage Resistance. mBio 2021; 12:mBio.03431-20. [PMID: 33785625 PMCID: PMC8092298 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03431-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Mycobacterium abscessus infections in cystic fibrosis patients are challenging to treat due to widespread antibiotic resistance. The therapeutic use of lytic bacteriophages presents a new potential strategy, but the great variation among clinical M. abscessus isolates demands determination of phage susceptibility prior to therapy. Mycobacterium abscessus is an opportunistic pathogen whose treatment is confounded by widespread multidrug resistance. The therapeutic use of bacteriophages against Mycobacterium abscessus infections offers a potential alternative approach, although the spectrum of phage susceptibilities among M. abscessus isolates is not known. We determined the phage infection profiles of 82 M. abscessus recent clinical isolates and find that colony morphotype—rough or smooth—is a key indicator of phage susceptibility. None of the smooth strains are efficiently killed by any phages, whereas 80% of rough strains are infected and efficiently killed by at least one phage. The repertoire of phages available for potential therapy of rough morphotype infections includes those with relatively broad host ranges, host range mutants of Mycobacterium smegmatis phages, and lytically propagated viruses derived from integrated prophages. The rough colony morphotype results from indels in the glycopeptidolipid synthesis genes mps1 and mps2, negating reversion to smooth as a common route to phage resistance. Resistance is thus rare, and although mutations in polyketide synthesis, uvrD2, and rpoZ can confer resistance, these likely also impair survival in vivo. The expanded therapeutic repertoire and the resistance profiles show that small cocktails or single phages could be suitable for controlling infections with rough strains.
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Carmi G, Gorohovski A, Mukherjee S, Frenkel-Morgenstern M. Non-optimal codon usage preferences of coronaviruses determine their promiscuity for infecting multiple hosts. FEBS J 2021; 288:5201-5223. [PMID: 33756061 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Circulating animal coronaviruses occasionally infect humans. The SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for the current worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 that has resulted in 2 112 844 deaths as of late January 2021. We compared genetic code preferences in 496 viruses, including 34 coronaviruses and 242 corresponding hosts, to uncover patterns that distinguish single- and 'promiscuous' multiple-host-infecting viruses. Based on a codon usage preference score, promiscuous viruses were shown to significantly employ nonoptimal codons, namely codons that involve 'wobble' binding to anticodons, as compared to single-host viruses. The codon adaptation index (CAI) and the effective number of codons (ENC) were calculated for all viruses and hosts. Promiscuous viruses were less adapted hosts vs single-host viruses (P-value = 4.392e-11). All coronaviruses exploit nonoptimal codons to infect multiple hosts. We found that nonoptimal codon preferences at the beginning of viral coding sequences enhance the translational efficiency of viral proteins within the host. Finally, coronaviruses lack endogenous RNA degradation motifs to a significant degree, thereby increasing viral mRNA burden and infection load. To conclude, we found that promiscuously infecting coronaviruses prefer nonoptimal codon usage to remove degradation motifs from their RNAs and to dramatically increase their viral RNA production rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gon Carmi
- Cancer Genomics and BioComputing of Complex Diseases Laboratory, The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
| | - Alessandro Gorohovski
- Cancer Genomics and BioComputing of Complex Diseases Laboratory, The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
| | - Sumit Mukherjee
- Cancer Genomics and BioComputing of Complex Diseases Laboratory, The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
| | - Milana Frenkel-Morgenstern
- Cancer Genomics and BioComputing of Complex Diseases Laboratory, The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel.,The Data Science Institute, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.,The Dangoor Center for Personalized Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
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Abstract
Mycobacteriophage Fulbright was isolated from soil in central Oklahoma using Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2115. The genome of phage Fulbright is 42,396 bp long and contains 70 open reading frames (ORFs), with 33 having predicted functions and 37 having hypothetical proteins. It belongs to cluster N and shares 99% nucleotide identity with mycobacteriophage Phloss.
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Complete Genome Sequences of Microbacterium liquefaciens Phages Mercedes, Leafus, Nebulous, and Ixel. Microbiol Resour Announc 2021; 10:10/11/e00068-21. [PMID: 33737355 PMCID: PMC7975873 DOI: 10.1128/mra.00068-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbacterium phages Mercedes, Leafus, Nebulous, and Ixel were isolated from soil in Rock Hill, SC. All are lytic phages with Siphoviridae morphotypes and similar genome sequence lengths that range from 40,200 bp to 42,000 bp. The four bacteriophages were isolated using the host Microbacterium liquefaciens. Microbacterium phages Mercedes, Leafus, Nebulous, and Ixel were isolated from soil in Rock Hill, SC. All are lytic phages with Siphoviridae morphotypes and similar genome sequence lengths that range from 40,200 bp to 42,000 bp. The four bacteriophages were isolated using the host Microbacterium liquefaciens.
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Hashemi Shahraki A, Mirsaeidi M. Phage Therapy for Mycobacterium Abscessus and Strategies to Improve Outcomes. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9030596. [PMID: 33799414 PMCID: PMC7999966 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9030596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Members of Mycobacterium abscessus complex are known for causing severe, chronic infections. Members of M. abscessus are a new "antibiotic nightmare" as one of the most resistant organisms to chemotherapeutic agents. Treatment of these infections is challenging due to the either intrinsic or acquired resistance of the M. abscessus complex to the available antibiotics. Recently, successful phage therapy with a cocktail of three phages (one natural lytic phage and two engineered phages) every 12 h for at least 32 weeks has been reported against a severe case of the disseminated M. abscessus subsp. massiliense infection, which underlines the high value of phages against drug-resistant superbugs. This report also highlighted the limitations of phage therapy, such as the absence of lytic phages with a broad host-range against all strains and subspecies of the M. abscessus complex and also the risk of phage resistant bacteria over treatment. Cutting-edge genomic technologies have facilitated the development of engineered phages for therapeutic purposes by introducing new desirable properties, changing host-range and arming the phages with additional killing genes. Here, we review the available literature and suggest new potential solutions based on the progress in phage engineering that can help to overcome the present limitations of M. abscessus treatment.
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Allué-Guardia A, Saranathan R, Chan J, Torrelles JB. Mycobacteriophages as Potential Therapeutic Agents against Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22020735. [PMID: 33450990 PMCID: PMC7828454 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22020735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The current emergence of multi-, extensively-, extremely-, and total-drug resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis poses a major health, social, and economic threat, and stresses the need to develop new therapeutic strategies. The notion of phage therapy against bacteria has been around for more than a century and, although its implementation was abandoned after the introduction of drugs, it is now making a comeback and gaining renewed interest in Western medicine as an alternative to treat drug-resistant pathogens. Mycobacteriophages are genetically diverse viruses that specifically infect mycobacterial hosts, including members of the M. tuberculosis complex. This review describes general features of mycobacteriophages and their mechanisms of killing M. tuberculosis, as well as their advantages and limitations as therapeutic and prophylactic agents against drug-resistant M. tuberculosis strains. This review also discusses the role of human lung micro-environments in shaping the availability of mycobacteriophage receptors on the M. tuberculosis cell envelope surface, the risk of potential development of bacterial resistance to mycobacteriophages, and the interactions with the mammalian host immune system. Finally, it summarizes the knowledge gaps and defines key questions to be addressed regarding the clinical application of phage therapy for the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Allué-Guardia
- Population Health Program, Tuberculosis Group, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78227, USA
- Correspondence: (A.A.-G.); (J.B.T.)
| | - Rajagopalan Saranathan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA; (R.S.); (J.C.)
| | - John Chan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA; (R.S.); (J.C.)
| | - Jordi B. Torrelles
- Population Health Program, Tuberculosis Group, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78227, USA
- Correspondence: (A.A.-G.); (J.B.T.)
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Gong Z, Lv X, Li C, Gu Y, Fan X, Sun Q, Tong Y, Zhao F, Xing S, Pei G, Li Q, Xie L, Xie J. Genomic and proteomic portrait of a novel mycobacteriophage SWU2 isolated from China. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2020; 87:104665. [PMID: 33279716 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2020.104665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Revised: 11/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Phage therapy, especially combination with antibiotics, was revitalized to control the antibiotics resistance. Mycobacteriophage, the phage of mycobacterium with the most notorious Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis), was intensively explored. A novel mycobacteriophage SWU2 was isolated from a soil sample collected at Nanchang city, Jiangxi province, China, by using Mycolicibacterium smegmatis (M. smegmatis) mc2 155 as the host. Phage morphology and biology were characterized. Phage structure proteins were analyzed by LC-MS/MS. The putative functions of phage proteins and multi-genome comparison were performed with bioinformatics. The transmission electron microscopy result indicated that this phage belongs to Siphoviridae of Caudovirales. Plaques of SWU2 appeared clear but small. In a one-step growth test, we demonstrated that SWU2 had a latent period of 30 min and a logarithmic phase of 120 min. Among the 76 predicted Open Reading Frames (ORFs), 9 ORFs were identified as phage structure proteins of SWU2. The assembled phage genome size is 50,013 bp, with 62.7% of G + C content. SWU2 genome sequence shares 88% identity with Mycobacterium phages HINdeR and Timshel, differing in substitutions, insertions and deletions in SWU2. Phylogenetic tree revealed that SWU2 is grouped into A7 sub-cluster. There are several substitutions, insertions and deletions in SWU2 genome in comparison with close cousin phages HINdeR and Timshel. The new phage adds another dimension of abundance to the mycobacteriophages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Gong
- Institute of Modern Biopharmaceuticals, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Eco-Environment and Bio-Resource of the Three Gorges Area, Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, Chongqing Municipal Key Laboratory of Karst Environment, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Xi Lv
- Institute of Modern Biopharmaceuticals, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Eco-Environment and Bio-Resource of the Three Gorges Area, Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, Chongqing Municipal Key Laboratory of Karst Environment, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Chunyan Li
- Institute of Modern Biopharmaceuticals, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Eco-Environment and Bio-Resource of the Three Gorges Area, Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, Chongqing Municipal Key Laboratory of Karst Environment, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Yinzhong Gu
- Institute of Modern Biopharmaceuticals, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Eco-Environment and Bio-Resource of the Three Gorges Area, Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, Chongqing Municipal Key Laboratory of Karst Environment, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Xiangyu Fan
- Institute of Modern Biopharmaceuticals, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Eco-Environment and Bio-Resource of the Three Gorges Area, Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, Chongqing Municipal Key Laboratory of Karst Environment, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China; School of Biological Science and Technology, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, China
| | - Qingyu Sun
- Institute of Modern Biopharmaceuticals, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Eco-Environment and Bio-Resource of the Three Gorges Area, Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, Chongqing Municipal Key Laboratory of Karst Environment, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Yigang Tong
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Feiyang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Shaozhen Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Guangqian Pei
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Qiming Li
- Institute of Modern Biopharmaceuticals, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Eco-Environment and Bio-Resource of the Three Gorges Area, Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, Chongqing Municipal Key Laboratory of Karst Environment, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Longxiang Xie
- Institute of Modern Biopharmaceuticals, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Eco-Environment and Bio-Resource of the Three Gorges Area, Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, Chongqing Municipal Key Laboratory of Karst Environment, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Jianping Xie
- Institute of Modern Biopharmaceuticals, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Eco-Environment and Bio-Resource of the Three Gorges Area, Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, Chongqing Municipal Key Laboratory of Karst Environment, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China.
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Genome Sequences of Microbacteriophages Zada and Ioannes. Microbiol Resour Announc 2020; 9:9/45/e01012-20. [PMID: 33154009 PMCID: PMC7645664 DOI: 10.1128/mra.01012-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbacteriophages Zada and Ioannes were isolated from soil and characterized. Genomes were then sequenced and annotated. This was done using the host bacterium Microbacterium foliorum. Zada and Ioannes are both lytic phages with a Siphoviridae morphotype. Microbacteriophages Zada and Ioannes were isolated from soil and characterized. Genomes were then sequenced and annotated. This was done using the host bacterium Microbacterium foliorum. Zada and Ioannes are both lytic phages with a Siphoviridae morphotype.
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