1
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Pourcel C, Essoh C, Ouldali M, Tavares P. Acinetobacter baumannii satellite phage Aci01-2-Phanie depends on a helper myophage for its multiplication. J Virol 2024:e0066724. [PMID: 38829140 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00667-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
We report the discovery of a satellite-helper phage system with a novel type of dependence on a tail donor. The Acinetobacter baumannii satellite podovirus Aci01-2-Phanie (short name Phanie) uses a phage phi29-like DNA replication and packaging mode. Its linear 11,885 bp dsDNA genome bears 171 bp inverted terminal repeats (ITR). Phanie is related to phage DU-PP-III from Pectobacterium and to members of the Astrithrvirus from Salmonella enterica. Together, they form a new clade of phages with 27% to 30% identity over the whole genome. Detailed 3D protein structure prediction and mass spectrometry analyses demonstrate that Phanie encodes its capsid structural genes and genes necessary to form a short tail. However, our study reveals that Phanie virions are non-infectious unless they associate with the contractile tail of an unrelated phage, Aci01-1, to produce chimeric myoviruses. Following the coinfection of Phanie with myovirus Aci01-1, hybrid viral particles composed of Phanie capsids and Aci01-1 contractile tails are assembled together with Phanie and Aci01-1 particles.IMPORTANCEThere are few reported cases of satellite-helper phage interactions but many more may be yet undiscovered. Here we describe a new mode of satellite phage dependence on a helper phage. Phanie, like phage phi29, replicates its linear dsDNA by a protein primed-mechanism and protects it inside podovirus-like particles. However, these particles are defective, requiring the acquisition of the tail from a myovirus helper for production of infectious virions. The formation of chimeras between a phi29-like podovirus and a helper contractile tail reveals an unexpected association between very different bacterial viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Pourcel
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Christiane Essoh
- Department of Biochemistry-Genetic, School of Biological Sciences, Université Peleforo Gon Coulibaly, Korhogo, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Malika Ouldali
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Paulo Tavares
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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2
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Schmid N, Brandt D, Walasek C, Rolland C, Wittmann J, Fischer D, Müsken M, Kalinowski J, Thormann K. An autonomous plasmid as an inovirus phage satellite. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0024624. [PMID: 38597658 PMCID: PMC11107163 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00246-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Bacterial viruses (phages) are potent agents of lateral gene transfer and thus are important drivers of evolution. A group of mobile genetic elements, referred to as phage satellites, exploits phages to disseminate their own genetic material. Here, we isolated a novel member of the family Inoviridae, Shewanella phage Dolos, along with an autonomously replicating plasmid, pDolos. Dolos causes a chronic infection in its host Shewanella oneidensis by phage production with only minor effects on the host cell proliferation. When present, plasmid pDolos hijacks Dolos functions to be predominantly packaged into phage virions and released into the environment and, thus, acts as a phage satellite. pDolos can disseminate further genetic material encoding, e.g., resistances or fluorophores to host cells sensitive to Dolos infection. Given the rather simple requirements of a plasmid for takeover of an inovirus and the wide distribution of phages of this group, we speculate that similar phage-satellite systems are common among bacteria.IMPORTANCEPhage satellites are mobile genetic elements, which hijack phages to be transferred to other host cells. The vast majority of these phage satellites integrate within the host's chromosome, and they all carry remaining phage genes. Here, we identified a novel phage satellite, pDolos, which uses an inovirus for dissemination. pDolos (i) remains as an autonomously replicating plasmid within its host, (ii) does not carry recognizable phage genes, and (iii) is smaller than any other phage satellites identified so far. Thus, pDolos is the first member of a new class of phage satellites, which resemble natural versions of phagemids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Schmid
- Institute for Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Gießen, Germany
| | - David Brandt
- Center for Biotechnology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Claudia Walasek
- Institute for Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Gießen, Germany
| | - Clara Rolland
- Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Johannes Wittmann
- Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Dorian Fischer
- Institute for Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Gießen, Germany
| | - Mathias Müsken
- Central Facility for Microscopy, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Jörn Kalinowski
- Center for Biotechnology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Kai Thormann
- Institute for Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Gießen, Germany
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3
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Andrews K, Landeryou T, Sicheritz-Pontén T, Nale JY. Diverse Prophage Elements of Salmonella enterica Serovars Show Potential Roles in Bacterial Pathogenicity. Cells 2024; 13:514. [PMID: 38534358 DOI: 10.3390/cells13060514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Nontyphoidal salmonellosis is an important foodborne and zoonotic infection that causes significant global public health concern. Diverse serovars are multidrug-resistant and encode several virulence indicators; however, little is known on the role prophages play in driving these traits. Here, we extracted prophages from seventy-five Salmonella genomes which represent the fifteen important serovars in the United Kingdom. We analyzed the intact prophages for the presence of virulence genes and established their genomic relationships. We identified 615 prophages from the Salmonella strains, from which 195 prophages are intact, 332 are incomplete, while 88 are questionable. The average prophage carriage was found to be 'extreme' in S. Heidelberg, S. Inverness, and S. Newport (10.2-11.6 prophages/strain), 'high' in S. Infantis, S. Stanley, S. Typhimurium, and S. Virchow (8.2-9.0 prophages/strain), 'moderate' in S. Agona, S. Braenderup, S. Bovismorbificans, S. Choleraesuis, S. Dublin, and S. Java (6.0-7.8 prophages/strain), and 'low' in S. Javiana and S. Enteritidis (5.8 prophages/strain). Cumulatively, 61 virulence genes (1500 gene copies) were detected from representative intact prophages and linked to Salmonella delivery/secretion system (42.62%), adherence (32.7%), magnesium uptake (3.88%), regulation (5%), stress/survival (1.6%), toxins (10%), and antivirulence (1.6%). Diverse clusters were formed among the intact prophages and with bacteriophages of other enterobacteria, suggesting different lineages and associations. Our work provides a strong body of data to support the contributions diverse prophages make to the pathogenicity of Salmonella, including thirteen previously unexplored serovars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirstie Andrews
- Centre for Epidemiology and Planetary Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, Scotland's Rural College, Inverness IV2 5NA, UK
| | - Toby Landeryou
- Centre for Epidemiology and Planetary Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, Scotland's Rural College, Inverness IV2 5NA, UK
| | - Thomas Sicheritz-Pontén
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, The Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, 1353 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Janet Yakubu Nale
- Centre for Epidemiology and Planetary Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, Scotland's Rural College, Inverness IV2 5NA, UK
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4
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Mukherjee A, Kizziah JL, Hawkins NC, Nasef MO, Parker LK, Dokland T. Structure of the Portal Complex from Staphylococcus aureus Pathogenicity Island 1 Transducing Particles In Situ and In Isolation. J Mol Biol 2024; 436:168415. [PMID: 38135177 PMCID: PMC10923094 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.168415] [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: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen, and the prevalence of antibiotic resistance is a major public health concern. The evolution of pathogenicity and resistance in S. aureus often involves acquisition of mobile genetic elements (MGEs). Bacteriophages play an especially important role, since transduction represents the main mechanism for horizontal gene transfer. S. aureus pathogenicity islands (SaPIs), including SaPI1, are MGEs that carry genes encoding virulence factors, and are mobilized at high frequency through interactions with specific "helper" bacteriophages, such as 80α, leading to packaging of the SaPI genomes into virions made from structural proteins supplied by the helper. Among these structural proteins is the portal protein, which forms a ring-like portal at a fivefold vertex of the capsid, through which the DNA is packaged during virion assembly and ejected upon infection of the host. We have used high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy to determine structures of the S. aureus bacteriophage 80α portal itself, produced by overexpression, and in situ in the empty and full SaPI1 virions, and show how the portal interacts with the capsid. These structures provide a basis for understanding portal and capsid assembly and the conformational changes that occur upon DNA packaging and ejection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amarshi Mukherjee
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - James L Kizziah
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - N'Toia C Hawkins
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Mohamed O Nasef
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Laura K Parker
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Terje Dokland
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
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5
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Barcia-Cruz R, Goudenège D, Moura de Sousa JA, Piel D, Marbouty M, Rocha EPC, Le Roux F. Phage-inducible chromosomal minimalist islands (PICMIs), a novel family of small marine satellites of virulent phages. Nat Commun 2024; 15:664. [PMID: 38253718 PMCID: PMC10803314 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44965-1] [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: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Phage satellites are bacterial genetic elements that co-opt phage machinery for their own dissemination. Here we identify a family of satellites, named Phage-Inducible Chromosomal Minimalist Islands (PICMIs), that are broadly distributed in marine bacteria of the family Vibrionaceae. A typical PICMI is characterized by reduced gene content, does not encode genes for capsid remodelling, and packages its DNA as a concatemer. PICMIs integrate in the bacterial host genome next to the fis regulator, and encode three core proteins necessary for excision and replication. PICMIs are dependent on virulent phage particles to spread to other bacteria, and protect their hosts from other competitive phages without interfering with their helper phage. Thus, our work broadens our understanding of phage satellites and narrows down the minimal number of functions necessary to hijack a tailed phage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rubén Barcia-Cruz
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 8227, Integrative Biology of Marine Models, Station Biologique de Roscoff, CS 90074, F-29688, Roscoff cedex, France
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, CIBUS-Faculty of Biology, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - David Goudenège
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 8227, Integrative Biology of Marine Models, Station Biologique de Roscoff, CS 90074, F-29688, Roscoff cedex, France
- Ifremer, Unité Physiologie Fonctionnelle des Organismes Marins, ZI de la Pointe du Diable, CS 10070, F-29280, Plouzané, France
| | - Jorge A Moura de Sousa
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, Paris, France
| | - Damien Piel
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 8227, Integrative Biology of Marine Models, Station Biologique de Roscoff, CS 90074, F-29688, Roscoff cedex, France
- Ifremer, Unité Physiologie Fonctionnelle des Organismes Marins, ZI de la Pointe du Diable, CS 10070, F-29280, Plouzané, France
| | - Martial Marbouty
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Organization and Dynamics of Viral Genomes Group, CNRS UMR 3525, Paris, F-75015, France
| | - Eduardo P C Rocha
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, Paris, France
| | - Frédérique Le Roux
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 8227, Integrative Biology of Marine Models, Station Biologique de Roscoff, CS 90074, F-29688, Roscoff cedex, France.
- Ifremer, Unité Physiologie Fonctionnelle des Organismes Marins, ZI de la Pointe du Diable, CS 10070, F-29280, Plouzané, France.
- Département de microbiologie, infectiologie et immunologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.
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6
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Boyd CM, Subramanian S, Dunham DT, Parent KN, Seed KD. A Vibrio cholerae viral satellite maximizes its spread and inhibits phage by remodeling hijacked phage coat proteins into small capsids. eLife 2024; 12:RP87611. [PMID: 38206122 PMCID: PMC10945586 DOI: 10.7554/elife.87611] [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: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Phage satellites commonly remodel capsids they hijack from the phages they parasitize, but only a few mechanisms regulating the change in capsid size have been reported. Here, we investigated how a satellite from Vibrio cholerae, phage-inducible chromosomal island-like element (PLE), remodels the capsid it has been predicted to steal from the phage ICP1 (Netter et al., 2021). We identified that a PLE-encoded protein, TcaP, is both necessary and sufficient to form small capsids during ICP1 infection. Interestingly, we found that PLE is dependent on small capsids for efficient transduction of its genome, making it the first satellite to have this requirement. ICP1 isolates that escaped TcaP-mediated remodeling acquired substitutions in the coat protein, suggesting an interaction between these two proteins. With a procapsid-like particle (PLP) assembly platform in Escherichia coli, we demonstrated that TcaP is a bona fide scaffold that regulates the assembly of small capsids. Further, we studied the structure of PLE PLPs using cryogenic electron microscopy and found that TcaP is an external scaffold that is functionally and somewhat structurally similar to the external scaffold, Sid, encoded by the unrelated satellite P4 (Kizziah et al., 2020). Finally, we showed that TcaP is largely conserved across PLEs. Together, these data support a model in which TcaP directs the assembly of small capsids comprised of ICP1 coat proteins, which inhibits the complete packaging of the ICP1 genome and permits more efficient packaging of replicated PLE genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline M Boyd
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, Seed Lab, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Sundharraman Subramanian
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Parent Lab, Michigan State UniversityEast LansingUnited States
| | - Drew T Dunham
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, Seed Lab, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Kristin N Parent
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Parent Lab, Michigan State UniversityEast LansingUnited States
| | - Kimberley D Seed
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, Seed Lab, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
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7
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Pirnay JP, Merabishvili M, De Vos D, Verbeken G. Bacteriophage Production in Compliance with Regulatory Requirements. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2734:89-115. [PMID: 38066364 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3523-0_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
In this chapter, we discuss production requirements for therapeutic bacteriophage preparations. We review the current regulatory expectancies and focus on pragmatic production processes, implementing relevant controls to ensure the quality, safety, and efficacy of the final products. The information disclosed in this chapter can also serve as a basis for discussions with competent authorities regarding the implementation of expedited bacteriophage product development and licensing pathways, taking into account some peculiarities of bacteriophages (as compared to conventional medicines), such as their specificity for, and co-evolution with, their bacterial hosts. To maximize the potential of bacteriophages as natural controllers of bacterial populations, the implemented regulatory frameworks and manufacturing processes should not only cater to defined bacteriophage products. But, they should also facilitate personalized approaches in which bacteriophages are selected ad hoc and even trained to target the patient's infecting bacterial strain(s), whether or not in combination with other antimicrobials such as antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Paul Pirnay
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Maia Merabishvili
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Daniel De Vos
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Gilbert Verbeken
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Brussels, Belgium
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8
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deCarvalho T, Mascolo E, Caruso SM, López-Pérez J, Weston-Hafer K, Shaffer C, Erill I. Simultaneous entry as an adaptation to virulence in a novel satellite-helper system infecting Streptomyces species. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023; 17:2381-2388. [PMID: 37907733 PMCID: PMC10690885 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01548-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Satellites are mobile genetic elements that are dependent upon the replication machinery of their helper viruses. Bacteriophages have provided many examples of satellite nucleic acids that utilize their helper morphogenic genes for propagation. Here we describe two novel satellite-helper phage systems, Mulch and Flayer, that infect Streptomyces species. The satellites in these systems encode for encapsidation machinery but have an absence of key replication genes, thus providing the first example of bacteriophage satellite viruses. We also show that codon usage of the satellites matches the tRNA gene content of the helpers. The satellite in one of these systems, Flayer, does not appear to integrate into the host genome, which represents the first example of a virulent satellite phage. The Flayer satellite has a unique tail adaptation that allows it to attach to its helper for simultaneous co-infection. These findings demonstrate an ever-increasing array of satellite strategies for genetic dependence on their helpers in the evolutionary arms race between satellite and helper phages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tagide deCarvalho
- Keith R. Porter Imaging Facility, College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Elia Mascolo
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Steven M Caruso
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Júlia López-Pérez
- Departament de Genètica i Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | | | - Christopher Shaffer
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Ivan Erill
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Departament d'Enginyeria de la Informació i de les Comunicacions, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.
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9
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Leeks A, Bono LM, Ampolini EA, Souza LS, Höfler T, Mattson CL, Dye AE, Díaz-Muñoz SL. Open questions in the social lives of viruses. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:1551-1567. [PMID: 37975507 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Social interactions among viruses occur whenever multiple viral genomes infect the same cells, hosts, or populations of hosts. Viral social interactions range from cooperation to conflict, occur throughout the viral world, and affect every stage of the viral lifecycle. The ubiquity of these social interactions means that they can determine the population dynamics, evolutionary trajectory, and clinical progression of viral infections. At the same time, social interactions in viruses raise new questions for evolutionary theory, providing opportunities to test and extend existing frameworks within social evolution. Many opportunities exist at this interface: Insights into the evolution of viral social interactions have immediate implications for our understanding of the fundamental biology and clinical manifestation of viral diseases. However, these opportunities are currently limited because evolutionary biologists only rarely study social evolution in viruses. Here, we bridge this gap by (1) summarizing the ways in which viruses can interact socially, including consequences for social evolution and evolvability; (2) outlining some open questions raised by viruses that could challenge concepts within social evolution theory; and (3) providing some illustrative examples, data sources, and conceptual questions, for studying the natural history of social viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asher Leeks
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Quantitative Biology Institute, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Lisa M Bono
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Ampolini
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Lucas S Souza
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Thomas Höfler
- Institute of Virology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Courtney L Mattson
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Anna E Dye
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Samuel L Díaz-Muñoz
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
- Genome Center, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
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10
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Mukherjee A, Kizziah JL, Hawkins NC, Nasef MO, Parker LK, Dokland T. Structure of the portal complex from Staphylococcus aureus pathogenicity island 1 transducing particles in situ and in solution. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.18.557803. [PMID: 37786723 PMCID: PMC10541612 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.18.557803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen, and the prevalence of antibiotic resistance is a major public health concern. The evolution of pathogenicity and resistance in S. aureus often involves acquisition of mobile genetic elements (MGEs). Bacteriophages play an especially important role, since transduction represents the main mechanism for horizontal gene transfer. S. aureus pathogenicity islands (SaPIs), including SaPI1, are MGEs that carry genes encoding virulence factors, and are mobilized at high frequency through interactions with specific "helper" bacteriophages, such as 80α, leading to packaging of the SaPI genomes into virions made from structural proteins supplied by the helper. Among these structural proteins is the portal protein, which forms a ring-like portal at a fivefold vertex of the capsid, through which the DNA is packaged during virion assembly and ejected upon infection of the host. We have used high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy to determine structures of the S. aureus bacteriophage 80α portal in solution and in situ in the empty and full SaPI1 virions, and show how the portal interacts with the capsid. These structures provide a basis for understanding portal and capsid assembly and the conformational changes that occur upon DNA packaging and ejection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Mohamed O. Nasef
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Laura K. Parker
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Terje Dokland
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
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11
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Boyd CM, Subramanian S, Dunham DT, Parent KN, Seed KD. A Vibrio cholerae viral satellite maximizes its spread and inhibits phage by remodeling hijacked phage coat proteins into small capsids. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.01.530633. [PMID: 36909475 PMCID: PMC10002752 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.01.530633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Phage satellites commonly remodel capsids they hijack from the phages they parasitize, but only a few mechanisms regulating the change in capsid size have been reported. Here, we investigated how a satellite from Vibrio cholerae, PLE, remodels the capsid it has been predicted to steal from the phage ICP1 (1). We identified that a PLE-encoded protein, TcaP, is both necessary and sufficient to form small capsids during ICP1 infection. Interestingly, we found that PLE is dependent on small capsids for efficient transduction of its genome, making it the first satellite to have this requirement. ICP1 isolates that escaped TcaP-mediated remodeling acquired substitutions in the coat protein, suggesting an interaction between these two proteins. With a procapsid-like-particle (PLP) assembly platform in Escherichia coli, we demonstrated that TcaP is a bona fide scaffold that regulates the assembly of small capsids. Further, we studied the structure of PLE PLPs using cryogenic electron microscopy and found that TcaP is an external scaffold, that is functionally and somewhat structurally similar to the external scaffold, Sid, encoded by the unrelated satellite P4 (2). Finally, we showed that TcaP is largely conserved across PLEs. Together, these data support a model in which TcaP directs the assembly of small capsids comprised of ICP1 coat proteins, which inhibits the complete packaging of the ICP1 genome and permits more efficient packaging of replicated PLE genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline M. Boyd
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, Seed Lab, University of California – Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Sundharraman Subramanian
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Parent Lab, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824
| | - Drew T. Dunham
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, Seed Lab, University of California – Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Kristin N. Parent
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Parent Lab, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824
| | - Kimberley D. Seed
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, Seed Lab, University of California – Berkeley, CA 94720
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12
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Mukherjee A, Kizziah J, Parker L, Dokland T. High-resolution Cryo-EM Structure of Staphylococcus aureus Bacteriophage 80α Portal Protein and SaPI1 Capsid. MICROSCOPY AND MICROANALYSIS : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF MICROSCOPY SOCIETY OF AMERICA, MICROBEAM ANALYSIS SOCIETY, MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 2023; 29:925-926. [PMID: 37613470 DOI: 10.1093/micmic/ozad067.458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Amarshi Mukherjee
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - James Kizziah
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Laura Parker
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Terje Dokland
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
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13
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Lossouarn J, Nesbø CL, Bienvenu N, Geslin C. Plasmid pMO1 from Marinitoga okinawensis, first non-cryptic plasmid reported within Thermotogota. Res Microbiol 2023; 174:104044. [PMID: 36805054 DOI: 10.1016/j.resmic.2023.104044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
Mobile genetic elements (MGEs), such as viruses and plasmids, drive the evolution and adaptation of their cellular hosts from all three domains of life. This includes microorganisms thriving in the most extreme environments, like deep-sea hydrothermal vents. However, our knowledge about MGEs still remains relatively sparse in these abyssal ecosystems. Here we report the isolation, sequencing, assembly, and functional annotation of pMO1, a 28.2 kbp plasmid associated with the reference strain Marinitoga okinawensis. Carrying restriction/modification and chemotaxis protein-encoding genes, pMO1 likely affects its host's phenotype and represents the first non-cryptic plasmid described among the phylum Thermotogota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Lossouarn
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Micalis Institute, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France.
| | - Camilla L Nesbø
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada; Biozone, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry and BioZone, University of Toronto, 200 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3E5.
| | - Nadège Bienvenu
- Univ Brest, Ifremer, CNRS, Unité Biologie et Ecologie des Ecosystèmes marins Profonds, F-29280 Plouzané, France.
| | - Claire Geslin
- Univ Brest, Ifremer, CNRS, Unité Biologie et Ecologie des Ecosystèmes marins Profonds, F-29280 Plouzané, France. mailto:
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14
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Alqurainy N, Miguel-Romero L, Moura de Sousa J, Chen J, Rocha EPC, Fillol-Salom A, Penadés JR. A widespread family of phage-inducible chromosomal islands only steals bacteriophage tails to spread in nature. Cell Host Microbe 2023; 31:69-82.e5. [PMID: 36596306 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2022.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Phage satellites are genetic elements that couple their life cycle to that of helper phages they parasitize, interfering with phage packaging through the production of small capsids, where only satellites are packaged. So far, in all analyzed systems, the satellite-sized capsids are composed of phage proteins. Here, we report that a family of phage-inducible chromosomal islands (PICIs), a type of satellites, encodes all the proteins required for both the production of small-sized capsids and the exclusive packaging of the PICIs into these capsids. Therefore, this new family, named capsid-forming PICIs (cf-PICIs), only requires phage tails to generate PICI particles. Remarkably, the representative cf-PICIs are produced with no cost from their helper phages, suggesting that the relationship between these elements is not parasitic. Finally, our phylogenomic studies indicate that cf-PICIs are present both in gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and have evolved at least three times independently to spread in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nasser Alqurainy
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK; Department of Basic Science, College of Science and Health Professions, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh 11426, Saudi Arabia
| | - Laura Miguel-Romero
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK; Centre for Bacterial Resistance Biology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Jorge Moura de Sousa
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, CNRS, UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, 75015 Paris, France
| | - John Chen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore
| | - Eduardo P C Rocha
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, CNRS, UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Alfred Fillol-Salom
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK; Centre for Bacterial Resistance Biology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
| | - José R Penadés
- Centre for Bacterial Resistance Biology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK; Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, CEU Universities, Valencia 46115, Spain.
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15
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Narulita E, Cahyati VIN, Febrianti RA, Iqbal M. Potential bacteriophages to overcome bacterial infection of Alcaligenes faecalis in diabetic ulcer. Pediatr Endocrinol Diabetes Metab 2023; 29:61-66. [PMID: 37728456 PMCID: PMC10411081 DOI: 10.5114/pedm.2023.125363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Diabetes is a non-contagious disease, but it can cause various complications. One of the most common complications of diabetes is diabetic ulcers. Diabetic ulcers are infections that occur in the legs of diabetics due to the destruction of the deepest skin tissue. Recent studies have reported the presence of Alcaligenes faecalis with extensive drug resistance (XDR) properties as a cause of diabetic ulcers. Bacteriophages are known to have the ability to infect bacteria specifically so that they can be used as an alternative solution for treating diabetic ulcers. The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of bacteriophages capable of infecting Alcaligenes faecalis bacteria. MATERIAL AND METHODS The method used is the spot test method, host range, and identification of nucleic acid types. RESULTS The results showed that the 6 bacteriophages isolated, namely AFaV1, AFaV2, AFaV3, AFaV4, AFaV5, and AFaV6, had cloudy plaques with a diameter of ±3 mm. AFaV1, AFaV2, and AFaV4 isolates could infect all bacteria used; they were Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. Meanwhile, bacteriophage isolates AFaV3, AFaV5, and AFaV6 could infect Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria only. The nucleic acid types of the 6 bacteriophage samples were dsDNA with band length > 1 Kb. CONCLUSIONS The 6 isolates that were isolated had the ability to infect by forming a prophage that could inhibit the growth of Alcaligenes faecalis and other pathogenic bacteria in diabetic ulcers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erlia Narulita
- Biology Education, Universitas Jember, Indonesia
- Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Universitas Jember, Indonesia
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16
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Diversity and Ecology of Caudoviricetes Phages with Genome Terminal Repeats in Fecal Metagenomes from Four Dutch Cohorts. Viruses 2022; 14:v14102305. [PMID: 36298860 PMCID: PMC9610469 DOI: 10.3390/v14102305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The human gut harbors numerous viruses infecting the human host, microbes, and other inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tract. Most of these viruses remain undiscovered, and their influence on human health is unknown. Here, we characterize viral genomes in gut metagenomic data from 1950 individuals from four population and patient cohorts. We focus on a subset of viruses that is highly abundant in the gut, remains largely uncharacterized, and allows confident complete genome identification—phages that belong to the class Caudoviricetes and possess genome terminal repeats. We detect 1899 species-level units belonging to this subset, 19% of which do not have complete representative genomes in major public gut virome databases. These units display diverse genomic features, are predicted to infect a wide range of microbial hosts, and on average account for <1% of metagenomic reads. Analysis of longitudinal data from 338 individuals shows that the composition of this fraction of the virome remained relatively stable over a period of 4 years. We also demonstrate that 54 species-level units are highly prevalent (detected in >5% of individuals in a cohort). Finally, we find 34 associations between highly prevalent phages and human phenotypes, 24 of which can be explained by the relative abundance of potential hosts.
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17
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Gophna U, Altman-Price N. Horizontal Gene Transfer in Archaea-From Mechanisms to Genome Evolution. Annu Rev Microbiol 2022; 76:481-502. [PMID: 35667126 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-040820-124627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Archaea remains the least-studied and least-characterized domain of life despite its significance not just to the ecology of our planet but also to the evolution of eukaryotes. It is therefore unsurprising that research into horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in archaea has lagged behind that of bacteria. Indeed, several archaeal lineages may owe their very existence to large-scale HGT events, and thus understanding both the molecular mechanisms and the evolutionary impact of HGT in archaea is highly important. Furthermore, some mechanisms of gene exchange, such as plasmids that transmit themselves via membrane vesicles and the formation of cytoplasmic bridges that allows transfer of both chromosomal and plasmid DNA, may be archaea specific. This review summarizes what we know about HGT in archaea, and the barriers that restrict it, highlighting exciting recent discoveries and pointing out opportunities for future research. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Microbiology, Volume 76 is September 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uri Gophna
- The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; ,
| | - Neta Altman-Price
- The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; , .,Department of Natural and Life Sciences, The Open University of Israel, Raanana, Israel
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18
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Fallon AM. Muramidase, nuclease, or hypothetical protein genes intervene between paired genes encoding DNA packaging terminase and portal proteins in Wolbachia phages and prophages. Virus Genes 2022; 58:327-349. [PMID: 35538383 DOI: 10.1007/s11262-022-01907-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Genomes of the obligate intracellular alpha proteobacterium Wolbachia pipientis often encode prophage-like regions, and in a few cases, purified particles have been recovered. Because the structure of a conserved WO phage genome has been difficult to establish, we examined paired terminase and portal genes in Wolbachia phages and prophages, relative to those encoded by the gene transfer agent RcGTA from the free-living alpha proteobacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus. Terminase and portal proteins from Wolbachia have higher similarity to orthologs encoded by RcGTA than to orthologs encoded by bacteriophage lambda. In lambdoid phages, these proteins play key roles in assembly of mature phage particles, while in less well-studied gene transfer agents, terminase and portal proteins package random fragments of bacterial DNA, which could confound elucidation of WO phage genomes. In WO phages and prophages, terminase genes followed by a short gpW gene may be separated from the downstream portal gene by open-reading frames encoding a GH_25 hydrolase/muramidase, a PD-(D/E)XK nuclease, a hypothetical protein and/or a RelE/ParE toxin-antitoxin module. These aspects of gene organization, coupled with evidence for a low, non-inducible yield of WO phages, and the small size of WO phage particles described in the literature raise the possibility that Wolbachia prophage regions participate in processes that extend beyond conventional bacteriophage lysogeny and lytic replication. These intervening genes, and their possible relation to functions associated with GTAs, may contribute to variability among WO phage genomes recovered from physical particles and impact the ability of WO phages to act as transducing agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann M Fallon
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, 1980 Folwell Ave, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA.
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19
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Tanoeiro L, Oleastro M, Nunes A, Marques AT, Duarte SV, Gomes JP, Matos APA, Vítor JMB, Vale FF. Cryptic Prophages Contribution for Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli Introgression. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10030516. [PMID: 35336092 PMCID: PMC8955182 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10030516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Campylobacter coli and C. jejuni, the causing agents of campylobacteriosis, are described to be undergoing introgression events, i.e., the transference of genetic material between different species, with some isolates sharing almost a quarter of its genome. The participation of phages in introgression events and consequent impact on host ecology and evolution remain elusive. Three distinct prophages, named C. jejuni integrated elements 1, 2, and 4 (CJIE1, CJIE2, and CJIE4), are described in C. jejuni. Here, we identified two unreported prophages, Campylobacter coli integrated elements 1 and 2 (CCIE1 and CCIE2 prophages), which are C. coli homologues of CJIE1 and CJIE2, respectively. No induction was achieved for both prophages. Conversely, induction assays on CJIE1 and CJIE2 point towards the inducibility of these prophages. CCIE2-, CJIE1-, and CJIE4-like prophages were identified in a Campylobacter spp. population of 840 genomes, and phylogenetic analysis revealed clustering in three major groups: CJIE1-CCIE1, CJIE2-CCIE2, and CJIE4, clearly segregating prophages from C. jejuni and C. coli, but not from human- and nonhuman-derived isolates, corroborating the flowing between animals and humans in the agricultural context. Punctual bacteriophage host-jumps were observed in the context of C. jejuni and C. coli, and although random chance cannot be fully discarded, these observations seem to implicate prophages in evolutionary introgression events that are modulating the hybridization of C. jejuni and C. coli species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luís Tanoeiro
- Pathogen Genome Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Research Institute for Medicines (iMed-ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal; (L.T.); (A.T.M.); (J.M.B.V.)
| | - Mónica Oleastro
- National Reference Laboratory for Gastrointestinal Infections, Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge, 1600-609 Lisboa, Portugal;
| | - Alexandra Nunes
- Bioinformatics Unit, Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge, 1600-609 Lisboa, Portugal; (A.N.); (J.P.G.)
| | - Andreia T. Marques
- Pathogen Genome Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Research Institute for Medicines (iMed-ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal; (L.T.); (A.T.M.); (J.M.B.V.)
| | - Sílvia Vaz Duarte
- Innovation and Technology Unit, Department of Human Genetics, National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge, 1600-609 Lisboa, Portugal;
| | - João Paulo Gomes
- Bioinformatics Unit, Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge, 1600-609 Lisboa, Portugal; (A.N.); (J.P.G.)
| | - António Pedro Alves Matos
- Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Cooperativa de Ensino Superior Egas Moniz, Quinta da Granja, 2829-511 Caparica, Portugal;
| | - Jorge M. B. Vítor
- Pathogen Genome Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Research Institute for Medicines (iMed-ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal; (L.T.); (A.T.M.); (J.M.B.V.)
| | - Filipa F. Vale
- Pathogen Genome Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Research Institute for Medicines (iMed-ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal; (L.T.); (A.T.M.); (J.M.B.V.)
- Correspondence: or
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20
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Species-Scale Genomic Analysis of Staphylococcus aureus Genes Influencing Phage Host Range and Their Relationships to Virulence and Antibiotic Resistance Genes. mSystems 2022; 7:e0108321. [PMID: 35040700 PMCID: PMC8765062 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.01083-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Phage therapy has been proposed as a possible alternative treatment for infections caused by the ubiquitous bacterial pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. However, successful therapy requires understanding the genetic basis of host range—the subset of strains in a species that could be killed by a particular phage. We searched diverse sets of S. aureus public genome sequences against a database of genes suggested from prior studies to influence host range to look for patterns of variation across the species. We found that genes encoding biosynthesis of molecules that were targets of S. aureus phage adsorption to the outer surface of the cell were the most conserved in the pangenome. Putative phage resistance genes that were core components of the pangenome genes had similar nucleotide diversity, ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitutions, and functionality (measured by delta-bitscore) to other core genes. However, phage resistance genes that were not part of the core genome were significantly less consistent with the core genome phylogeny than all noncore genes in this set, suggesting more frequent movement between strains by horizontal gene transfer. Only superinfection immunity genes encoded by temperate phages inserted in the genome correlated with experimentally determined temperate phage resistance. Taken together, these results suggested that, while phage adsorption genes are heavily conserved in the S. aureus species, HGT may play a significant role in strain-specific evolution of host range patterns. IMPORTANCEStaphylococcus aureus is a widespread, hospital- and community-acquired pathogen that is commonly antibiotic resistant. It causes diverse diseases affecting both the skin and internal organs. Its ubiquity, antibiotic resistance, and disease burden make new therapies urgent, such as phage therapy, in which viruses specific to infecting bacteria clear infection. S. aureus phage host range not only determines whether phage therapy will be successful by killing bacteria but also horizontal gene transfer through transduction of host genetic material by phages. In this work, we comprehensively reviewed existing literature to build a list of S. aureus phage resistance genes and searched our database of almost 43,000 S. aureus genomes for these genes to understand their patterns of evolution, finding that prophages’ superinfection immunity correlates best with phage resistance and HGT. These findings improved our understanding of the relationship between known phage resistance genes and phage host range in the species.
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21
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Moura de Sousa JA, Rocha EPC. To catch a hijacker: abundance, evolution and genetic diversity of P4-like bacteriophage satellites. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200475. [PMID: 34839713 PMCID: PMC8628076 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteriophages (phages) are bacterial parasites that can themselves be parasitized by phage satellites. The molecular mechanisms used by satellites to hijack phages are sometimes understood in great detail, but the origins, abundance, distribution and composition of these elements are poorly known. Here, we show that P4-like elements are present in more than 30% of the genomes of Enterobacterales, and in almost half of those of Escherichia coli, sometimes in multiple distinct copies. We identified over 1000 P4-like elements with very conserved genetic organization of the core genome and a few hotspots with highly variable genes. These elements are never found in plasmids and have very little homology to known phages, suggesting an independent evolutionary origin. Instead, they are scattered across chromosomes, possibly because their integrases are often exchanged with other elements. The rooted phylogenies of hijacking functions are correlated and suggest longstanding coevolution. They also reveal broad host ranges in P4-like elements, as almost identical elements can be found in distinct bacterial genera. Our results show that P4-like phage satellites constitute a very distinct, widespread and ancient family of mobile genetic elements. They pave the way for studying the molecular evolution of antagonistic interactions between phages and their satellites. This article is part of the theme issue 'The secret lives of microbial mobile genetic elements'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge A Moura de Sousa
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, CNRS, UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, Paris 75015, France
| | - Eduardo P C Rocha
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, CNRS, UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, Paris 75015, France
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22
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Borodovich T, Shkoporov AN, Ross RP, Hill C. OUP accepted manuscript. Gastroenterol Rep (Oxf) 2022; 10:goac012. [PMID: 35425613 PMCID: PMC9006064 DOI: 10.1093/gastro/goac012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in the microbiome has profound consequences for human health and disease. The spread of antibiotic resistance genes, virulence, and pathogenicity determinants predominantly occurs by way of HGT. Evidence exists of extensive horizontal transfer in the human gut microbiome. Phage transduction is a type of HGT event in which a bacteriophage transfers non-viral DNA from one bacterial host cell to another. The abundance of tailed bacteriophages in the human gut suggests that transduction could act as a significant mode of HGT in the gut microbiome. Here we review in detail the known mechanisms of phage-mediated HGT, namely specialized and generalized transduction, lateral transduction, gene-transfer agents, and molecular piracy, as well as methods used to detect phage-mediated HGT, and discuss its potential implications for the human gut microbiome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Borodovich
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- Corresponding author. APC Microbiome Ireland, Biosciences Institute, University College Cork, Room 3.63, College Road, Cork, T12 YT20, Ireland.
| | - Andrey N Shkoporov
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - R Paul Ross
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Colin Hill
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
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23
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Koonin EV, Dolja VV, Krupovic M, Kuhn JH. Viruses Defined by the Position of the Virosphere within the Replicator Space. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2021; 85:e0019320. [PMID: 34468181 PMCID: PMC8483706 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00193-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Originally, viruses were defined as miniscule infectious agents that passed through filters that retain even the smallest cells. Subsequently, viruses were considered obligate intracellular parasites whose reproduction depends on their cellular hosts for energy supply and molecular building blocks. However, these features are insufficient to unambiguously define viruses as they are broadly understood today. We outline possible approaches to define viruses and explore the boundaries of the virosphere within the virtual space of replicators and the relationships between viruses and other types of replicators. Regardless of how, exactly, viruses are defined, viruses clearly have evolved on many occasions from nonviral replicators, such as plasmids, by recruiting host proteins to become virion components. Conversely, other types of replicators have repeatedly evolved from viruses. Thus, the virosphere is a dynamic entity with extensive evolutionary traffic across its boundaries. We argue that the virosphere proper, here termed orthovirosphere, consists of a distinct variety of replicators that encode structural proteins encasing the replicators' genomes, thereby providing protection and facilitating transmission among hosts. Numerous and diverse replicators, such as virus-derived but capsidless RNA and DNA elements, or defective viruses occupy the zone surrounding the orthovirosphere in the virtual replicator space. We define this zone as the perivirosphere. Although intense debates on the nature of certain replicators that adorn the internal and external boundaries of the virosphere will likely continue, we present an operational definition of virus that recently has been accepted by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugene V. Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Valerian V. Dolja
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Archaeal Virology Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Jens H. Kuhn
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland, USA
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24
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Abstract
The success of many viruses depends upon cooperative interactions between viral genomes. However, whenever cooperation occurs, there is the potential for 'cheats' to exploit that cooperation. We suggest that: (1) the biology of viruses makes viral cooperation particularly susceptible to cheating; (2) cheats are common across a wide range of viruses, including viral entities that are already well studied, such as defective interfering genomes, and satellite viruses. Consequently, the evolutionary theory of cheating could help us understand and manipulate viral dynamics, while viruses also offer new opportunities to study the evolution of cheating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asher Leeks
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK.
| | - Stuart A West
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Melanie Ghoul
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
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25
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Ibarra-Chávez R, Hansen MF, Pinilla-Redondo R, Seed KD, Trivedi U. Phage satellites and their emerging applications in biotechnology. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2021; 45:fuab031. [PMID: 34104956 PMCID: PMC8632786 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuab031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The arms race between (bacterio)phages and their hosts is a recognised hot spot for genome evolution. Indeed, phages and their components have historically paved the way for many molecular biology techniques and biotech applications. Further exploration into their complex lifestyles has revealed that phages are often parasitised by distinct types of hyperparasitic mobile genetic elements. These so-called phage satellites exploit phages to ensure their own propagation and horizontal transfer into new bacterial hosts, and their prevalence and peculiar lifestyle has caught the attention of many researchers. Here, we review the parasite-host dynamics of the known phage satellites, their genomic organisation and their hijacking mechanisms. Finally, we discuss how these elements can be repurposed for diverse biotech applications, kindling a new catalogue of exciting tools for microbiology and synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Ibarra-Chávez
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mads Frederik Hansen
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Rafael Pinilla-Redondo
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kimberley D Seed
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Urvish Trivedi
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
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Shape shifter: redirection of prolate phage capsid assembly by staphylococcal pathogenicity islands. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6408. [PMID: 34737316 PMCID: PMC8569155 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26759-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus pathogenicity islands (SaPIs) are molecular parasites that hijack helper phages for their transfer. SaPIbov5, the prototypical member of a family of cos type SaPIs, redirects the assembly of ϕ12 helper capsids from prolate to isometric. This size and shape shift is dependent on the SaPIbov5-encoded protein Ccm, a homolog of the ϕ12 capsid protein (CP). Using cryo-electron microscopy, we have determined structures of prolate ϕ12 procapsids and isometric SaPIbov5 procapsids. ϕ12 procapsids have icosahedral end caps with Tend = 4 architecture and a Tmid = 14 cylindrical midsection, whereas SaPIbov5 procapsids have T = 4 icosahedral architecture. We built atomic models for CP and Ccm, and show that Ccm occupies the pentameric capsomers in the isometric SaPIbov5 procapsids, suggesting that preferential incorporation of Ccm pentamers prevents the cylindrical midsection from forming. Our results highlight that pirate elements have evolved diverse mechanisms to suppress phage multiplication, including the acquisition of phage capsid protein homologs. Phage-inducible chromosomal islands (PICIs) are a group of mobile genetic elements that hijack the replication and assembly machinery of helper bacteriophages. Here the authors describe a mechanism by which a group of PICIs from Staphylococcus aureus re-direct the assembly pathway of their helpers using a capsid protein homolog.
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Isaev AB, Musharova OS, Severinov KV. Microbial Arsenal of Antiviral Defenses. Part II. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2021; 86:449-470. [PMID: 33941066 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297921040064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Bacteriophages or phages are viruses that infect bacterial cells (for the scope of this review we will also consider viruses that infect Archaea). The constant threat of phage infection is a major force that shapes evolution of microbial genomes. To withstand infection, bacteria had evolved numerous strategies to avoid recognition by phages or to directly interfere with phage propagation inside the cell. Classical molecular biology and genetic engineering had been deeply intertwined with the study of phages and host defenses. Nowadays, owing to the rise of phage therapy, broad application of CRISPR-Cas technologies, and development of bioinformatics approaches that facilitate discovery of new systems, phage biology experiences a revival. This review describes variety of strategies employed by microbes to counter phage infection. In the first part defense associated with cell surface, roles of small molecules, and innate immunity systems relying on DNA modification were discussed. The second part focuses on adaptive immunity systems, abortive infection mechanisms, defenses associated with mobile genetic elements, and novel systems discovered in recent years through metagenomic mining.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artem B Isaev
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Skolkovo, Moscow, 143028, Russia.
| | - Olga S Musharova
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Skolkovo, Moscow, 143028, Russia. .,Institute of Molecular Genetics, Moscow, 119334, Russia
| | - Konstantin V Severinov
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Skolkovo, Moscow, 143028, Russia. .,Waksman Institute of Microbiology, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
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Netter Z, Boyd CM, Silvas TV, Seed KD. A phage satellite tunes inducing phage gene expression using a domesticated endonuclease to balance inhibition and virion hijacking. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:4386-4401. [PMID: 33823541 PMCID: PMC8096241 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2020] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria persist under constant threat of predation by bacterial viruses (phages). Bacteria-phage conflicts result in evolutionary arms races often driven by mobile genetic elements (MGEs). One such MGE, a phage satellite in Vibrio cholerae called PLE, provides specific and robust defense against a pervasive lytic phage, ICP1. The interplay between PLE and ICP1 has revealed strategies for molecular parasitism allowing PLE to hijack ICP1 processes in order to mobilize. Here, we describe the mechanism of PLE-mediated transcriptional manipulation of ICP1 structural gene transcription. PLE encodes a novel DNA binding protein, CapR, that represses ICP1’s capsid morphogenesis operon. Although CapR is sufficient for the degree of capsid repression achieved by PLE, its activity does not hinder the ICP1 lifecycle. We explore the consequences of repression of this operon, demonstrating that more stringent repression achieved through CRISPRi restricts both ICP1 and PLE. We also discover that PLE transduces in modified ICP1-like particles. Examination of CapR homologs led to the identification of a suite of ICP1-encoded homing endonucleases, providing a putative origin for the satellite-encoded repressor. This work unveils a facet of the delicate balance of satellite-mediated inhibition aimed at blocking phage production while successfully mobilizing in a phage-derived particle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoe Netter
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Caroline M Boyd
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Tania V Silvas
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Kimberley D Seed
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
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29
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Abstract
Bacteriophages are the most diverse and abundant biological entities on the Earth and require host bacteria to replicate. Because of this obligate relationship, in addition to the challenging conditions of surrounding environments, phages must integrate information about extrinsic and intrinsic factors when infecting their host. This integration helps to determine whether the infection becomes lytic or lysogenic, which likely influences phage spreading and long-term survival. Although a variety of environmental and physiological clues are known to modulate lysis-lysogeny decisions, the social interplay among phages and host populations has been overlooked until recently. A growing body of evidence indicates that cell-cell communication in bacteria and, more recently, peptide-based communication among phage-phage populations, affect phage-host interactions by controlling phage lysis-lysogeny decisions and phage counter-defensive strategies in bacteria. Here, we explore and discuss the role of signal molecules as well as quorum sensing and quenching factors that mediate phage-host interactions. Our aim is to provide an overview of population-dependent mechanisms that influence phage replication, and how social communication may affect the dynamics and evolution of microbial communities, including their implications in phage therapy.
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30
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Moller AG, Winston K, Ji S, Wang J, Hargita Davis MN, Solís-Lemus CR, Read TD. Genes Influencing Phage Host Range in Staphylococcus aureus on a Species-Wide Scale. mSphere 2021; 6:e01263-20. [PMID: 33441407 PMCID: PMC7845607 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.01263-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is a human pathogen that causes serious diseases, ranging from skin infections to septic shock. Bacteriophages (phages) are both natural killers of S. aureus, offering therapeutic possibilities, and important vectors of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in the species. Here, we used high-throughput approaches to understand the genetic basis of strain-to-strain variation in sensitivity to phages, which defines the host range. We screened 259 diverse S. aureus strains covering more than 40 sequence types for sensitivity to eight phages, which were representatives of the three phage classes that infect the species. The phages were variable in host range, each infecting between 73 and 257 strains. Using genome-wide association approaches, we identified putative loci that affect host range and validated their function using USA300 transposon knockouts. In addition to rediscovering known host range determinants, we found several previously unreported genes affecting bacterial growth during phage infection, including trpA, phoR, isdB, sodM, fmtC, and relA We used the data from our host range matrix to develop predictive models that achieved between 40% and 95% accuracy. This work illustrates the complexity of the genetic basis for phage susceptibility in S. aureus but also shows that with more data, we may be able to understand much of the variation. With a knowledge of host range determination, we can rationally design phage therapy cocktails that target the broadest host range of S. aureus strains and address basic questions regarding phage-host interactions, such as the impact of phage on S. aureus evolution.IMPORTANCEStaphylococcus aureus is a widespread, hospital- and community-acquired pathogen, many strains of which are antibiotic resistant. It causes diverse diseases, ranging from local to systemic infection, and affects both the skin and many internal organs, including the heart, lungs, bones, and brain. Its ubiquity, antibiotic resistance, and disease burden make new therapies urgent. One alternative therapy to antibiotics is phage therapy, in which viruses specific to infecting bacteria clear infection. In this work, we identified and validated S. aureus genes that influence phage host range-the number of strains a phage can infect and kill-by testing strains representative of the diversity of the S. aureus species for phage host range and associating the genome sequences of strains with host range. These findings together improved our understanding of how phage therapy works in the bacterium and improve prediction of phage therapy efficacy based on the predicted host range of the infecting strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abraham G Moller
- Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (MMG) Program, Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (GDBBS), Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Kyle Winston
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health (RSPH), Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Shiyu Ji
- Eugene Gangarosa Laboratory Research Fellowship, Emory College Online & Summer Programs, Emory College of Arts and Sciences, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Junting Wang
- Department of Statistics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Michelle N Hargita Davis
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Claudia R Solís-Lemus
- Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Timothy D Read
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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31
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Kleiner M, Bushnell B, Sanderson KE, Hooper LV, Duerkop BA. Transductomics: sequencing-based detection and analysis of transduced DNA in pure cultures and microbial communities. MICROBIOME 2020; 8:158. [PMID: 33190645 PMCID: PMC7667829 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-020-00935-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) plays a central role in microbial evolution. Our understanding of the mechanisms, frequency, and taxonomic range of HGT in polymicrobial environments is limited, as we currently rely on historical HGT events inferred from genome sequencing and studies involving cultured microorganisms. We lack approaches to observe ongoing HGT in microbial communities. RESULTS To address this knowledge gap, we developed a DNA sequencing-based "transductomics" approach that detects and characterizes microbial DNA transferred via transduction. We validated our approach using model systems representing a range of transduction modes and show that we can detect numerous classes of transducing DNA. Additionally, we show that we can use this methodology to obtain insights into DNA transduction among all major taxonomic groups of the intestinal microbiome. CONCLUSIONS The transductomics approach that we present here allows for the detection and characterization of genes that are potentially transferred between microbes in complex microbial communities at the time of measurement and thus provides insights into real-time ongoing horizontal gene transfer. This work extends the genomic toolkit for the broader study of mobile DNA within microbial communities and could be used to understand how phenotypes spread within microbiomes. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Kleiner
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
| | - Brian Bushnell
- Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA, USA
| | - Kenneth E Sanderson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Lora V Hooper
- Department of Immunology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Breck A Duerkop
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA.
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32
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Thiroux S, Dupont S, Nesbø CL, Bienvenu N, Krupovic M, L'Haridon S, Marie D, Forterre P, Godfroy A, Geslin C. The first head-tailed virus, MFTV1, infecting hyperthermophilic methanogenic deep-sea archaea. Environ Microbiol 2020; 23:3614-3626. [PMID: 33022088 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Deep-sea hydrothermal vents are inhabited by complex communities of microbes and their viruses. Despite the importance of viruses in controlling the diversity, adaptation and evolution of their microbial hosts, to date, only eight bacterial and two archaeal viruses isolated from abyssal ecosystems have been described. Thus, our efforts focused on gaining new insights into viruses associated with deep-sea autotrophic archaea. Here, we provide the first evidence of an infection of hyperthermophilic methanogenic archaea by a head-tailed virus, Methanocaldococcus fervens tailed virus 1 (MFTV1). MFTV1 has an isometric head of 50 nm in diameter and a 150 nm-long non-contractile tail. Virions are released continuously without causing a sudden drop in host growth. MFTV1 infects Methanocaldococcus species and is the first hyperthermophilic head-tailed virus described thus far. The viral genome is a double-stranded linear DNA of 31 kb. Interestingly, our results suggest potential strategies adopted by the plasmid pMEFER01, carried by M. fervens, to spread horizontally in hyperthermophilic methanogens. The data presented here open a new window of understanding on how the abyssal mobilome interacts with hyperthermophilic marine archaea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Thiroux
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, Univ Brest, CNRS, IFREMER, Plouzané, F-29280, France
| | - Samuel Dupont
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, Univ Brest, CNRS, IFREMER, Plouzané, F-29280, France
| | - Camilla L Nesbø
- Biozone, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3E5, Canada.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G2R3, 12, Canada
| | - Nadège Bienvenu
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, Univ Brest, CNRS, IFREMER, Plouzané, F-29280, France
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Archaeal Virology Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, 75015, France
| | - Stéphane L'Haridon
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, Univ Brest, CNRS, IFREMER, Plouzané, F-29280, France
| | - Dominique Marie
- UPMC Univ Paris 06, INSU-CNRS, UMR 7144, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Sorbonne University, Roscoff, 29680, France
| | - Patrick Forterre
- Archaeal Virology Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, 75015, France.,Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS., Gif-sur-Yvette, 91198, France
| | - Anne Godfroy
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, Univ Brest, CNRS, IFREMER, Plouzané, F-29280, France
| | - Claire Geslin
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, Univ Brest, CNRS, IFREMER, Plouzané, F-29280, France
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33
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A Family of Viral Satellites Manipulates Invading Virus Gene Expression and Can Affect Cholera Toxin Mobilization. mSystems 2020; 5:5/5/e00358-20. [PMID: 33051375 PMCID: PMC7567579 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00358-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Many viruses possess temporally unfolding gene expression patterns aimed at subverting host defenses, commandeering host metabolism, and ultimately producing a large number of progeny virions. High-throughput omics tools, such as RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), have dramatically enhanced the resolution of expression patterns during infection. Less studied have been viral satellites, mobile genomes that parasitize viruses. By performing RNA-seq on infection time courses, we have obtained the first time-resolved transcriptomes for bacteriophage satellites during lytic infection. Specifically, we have acquired transcriptomes for the lytic Vibrio cholerae phage ICP1 and all five known variants of ICP1's parasite, the phage inducible chromosomal island-like elements (PLEs). PLEs rely on ICP1 for both DNA replication and mobilization and abolish production of ICP1 progeny in infected cells. We investigated PLEs' impact on ICP1 gene expression and found that PLEs did not broadly restrict or reduce ICP1 gene expression. A major exception occurred in ICP1's capsid morphogenesis operon, which was downregulated by each of the PLE variants. Surprisingly, PLEs were also found to alter the gene expression of CTXΦ, the integrative phage that encodes cholera toxin and is necessary for virulence of toxigenic V. cholerae One PLE, PLE1, upregulated CTXΦ genes involved in replication and integration and boosted CTXΦ mobility following induction of the SOS response.IMPORTANCE Viral satellites are found in all domains of life and can have profound fitness effects on both the viruses they parasitize and the cells they reside in. In this study, we have acquired the first RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) transcriptomes of viral satellites outside plants, as well as the transcriptome of the phage ICP1, a predominant predator of pandemic Vibrio cholerae Capsid downregulation, previously observed in an unrelated phage satellite, is conserved among phage inducible chromosomal island-like elements (PLEs), suggesting that viral satellites are under strong selective pressure to reduce the capsid expression of their larger host viruses. Despite conserved manipulation of capsid expression, PLEs exhibit divergent effects on CTXΦ transcription and mobility. Our results demonstrate that PLEs can influence both their hosts' resistance to phage and the mobility of virulence-encoding elements, suggesting that PLEs can play a substantial role in shaping Vibrio cholerae evolution.
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34
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Mata CP, Rodríguez JM, Suzuki N, Castón JR. Structure and assembly of double-stranded RNA mycoviruses. Adv Virus Res 2020; 108:213-247. [PMID: 33837717 DOI: 10.1016/bs.aivir.2020.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Mycoviruses are a diverse group that includes ssRNA, dsRNA, and ssDNA viruses, with or without a protein capsid, as well as with a complex envelope. Most mycoviruses are transmitted by cytoplasmic interchange and are thought to lack an extracellular phase in their infection cycle. Structural analysis has focused on dsRNA mycoviruses, which usually package their genome in a 120-subunit T=1 icosahedral capsid, with a capsid protein (CP) dimer as the asymmetric unit. The atomic structure is available for four dsRNA mycovirus from different families: Saccharomyces cerevisiae virus L-A (ScV-L-A), Penicillium chrysogenum virus (PcV), Penicillium stoloniferum virus F (PsV-F), and Rosellinia necatrix quadrivirus 1 (RnQV1). Their capsids show structural variations of the same framework, with asymmetric or symmetric CP dimers respectively for ScV-L-A and PsV-F, dimers of similar domains of a single CP for PcV, or of two different proteins for RnQV1. The CP dimer is the building block, and assembly proceeds through dimers of dimers or pentamers of dimers, in which the genome is packed as ssRNA by interaction with CP and/or viral polymerase. These capsids remain structurally undisturbed throughout the viral cycle. The T=1 capsid participates in RNA synthesis, organizing the viral polymerase (1-2 copies) and a single loosely packaged genome segment. It also acts as a molecular sieve, to allow the passage of viral transcripts and nucleotides, but to prevent triggering of host defense mechanisms. Due to the close mycovirus-host relationship, CP evolved to allocate peptide insertions with enzyme activity, as reflected in a rough outer capsid surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos P Mata
- Department of Structure of Macromolecules, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain; Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Javier M Rodríguez
- Department of Structure of Macromolecules, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Nobuhiro Suzuki
- Institute of Plant Science and Resources, Okayama University, Kurashiki, Japan
| | - José R Castón
- Department of Structure of Macromolecules, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain.
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Kizziah JL, Rodenburg CM, Dokland T. Structure of the Capsid Size-Determining Scaffold of "Satellite" Bacteriophage P4. Viruses 2020; 12:E953. [PMID: 32867300 PMCID: PMC7552001 DOI: 10.3390/v12090953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
P4 is a mobile genetic element (MGE) that can exist as a plasmid or integrated into its Escherichia coli host genome, but becomes packaged into phage particles by a helper bacteriophage, such as P2. P4 is the original example of what we have termed "molecular piracy", the process by which one MGE usurps the life cycle of another for its own propagation. The P2 helper provides most of the structural gene products for assembly of the P4 virion. However, when P4 is mobilized by P2, the resulting capsids are smaller than those normally formed by P2 alone. The P4-encoded protein responsible for this size change is called Sid, which forms an external scaffolding cage around the P4 procapsids. We have determined the high-resolution structure of P4 procapsids, allowing us to build an atomic model for Sid as well as the gpN capsid protein. Sixty copies of Sid form an intertwined dodecahedral cage around the T = 4 procapsid, making contact with only one out of the four symmetrically non-equivalent copies of gpN. Our structure provides a basis for understanding the sir mutants in gpN that prevent small capsid formation, as well as the nms "super-sid" mutations that counteract the effect of the sir mutations, and suggests a model for capsid size redirection by Sid.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Terje Dokland
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA; (J.L.K.); (C.M.R.)
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36
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Ibarra-Chávez R, Haag AF, Dorado-Morales P, Lasa I, Penadés JR. Rebooting Synthetic Phage-Inducible Chromosomal Islands: One Method to Forge Them All. BIODESIGN RESEARCH 2020; 2020:5783064. [PMID: 37849900 PMCID: PMC10530653 DOI: 10.34133/2020/5783064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Phage-inducible chromosomal islands (PICIs) are a widespread family of mobile genetic elements, which have an important role in bacterial pathogenesis. These elements mobilize among bacterial species at extremely high frequencies, representing an attractive tool for the delivery of synthetic genes. However, tools for their genetic manipulation are limited and timing consuming. Here, we have adapted a synthetic biology approach for rapidly editing of PICIs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae based on their ability to excise and integrate into the bacterial chromosome of their cognate host species. As proof of concept, we engineered several PICIs from Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli and validated this methodology for the study of the biology of these elements by generating multiple and simultaneous mutations in different PICI genes. For biotechnological purposes, we also synthetically constructed PICIs as Trojan horses to deliver different CRISPR-Cas9 systems designed to either cure plasmids or eliminate cells carrying the targeted genes. Our results demonstrate that the strategy developed here can be employed universally to study PICIs and enable new approaches for diagnosis and treatment of bacterial diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Ibarra-Chávez
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Andreas F. Haag
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Pedro Dorado-Morales
- Laboratory of Microbial Pathogenesis, Navarrabiomed, Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra-Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IDISNA), 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Iñigo Lasa
- Laboratory of Microbial Pathogenesis, Navarrabiomed, Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra-Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IDISNA), 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - José R. Penadés
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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37
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Barth ZK, Silvas TV, Angermeyer A, Seed KD. Genome replication dynamics of a bacteriophage and its satellite reveal strategies for parasitism and viral restriction. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:249-263. [PMID: 31667508 PMCID: PMC7145576 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz1005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Revised: 09/14/2019] [Accepted: 10/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Phage-inducible chromosomal island-like elements (PLEs) are bacteriophage satellites found in Vibrio cholerae. PLEs parasitize the lytic phage ICP1, excising from the bacterial chromosome, replicating, and mobilizing to new host cells following cell lysis. PLEs protect their host cell populations by completely restricting the production of ICP1 progeny. Previously, it was found that ICP1 replication was reduced during PLE(+) infection. Despite robust replication of the PLE genome, relatively few transducing units are produced. We investigated if PLE DNA replication itself is antagonistic to ICP1 replication. Here we identify key constituents of PLE replication and assess their role in interference of ICP1. PLE encodes a RepA_N initiation factor that is sufficient to drive replication from the PLE origin of replication during ICP1 infection. In contrast to previously characterized bacteriophage satellites, expression of the PLE initiation factor was not sufficient for PLE replication in the absence of phage. Replication of PLE was necessary for interference of ICP1 DNA replication, but replication of a minimalized PLE replicon was not sufficient for ICP1 DNA replication interference. Despite restoration of ICP1 DNA replication, non-replicating PLE remained broadly inhibitory against ICP1. These results suggest that PLE DNA replication is one of multiple mechanisms contributing to ICP1 restriction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary K Barth
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Tania V Silvas
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Angus Angermeyer
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Kimberley D Seed
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
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Kizziah JL, Manning KA, Dearborn AD, Dokland T. Structure of the host cell recognition and penetration machinery of a Staphylococcus aureus bacteriophage. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1008314. [PMID: 32069326 PMCID: PMC7048315 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Revised: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is a common cause of infections in humans. The emergence of virulent, antibiotic-resistant strains of S. aureus is a significant public health concern. Most virulence and resistance factors in S. aureus are encoded by mobile genetic elements, and transduction by bacteriophages represents the main mechanism for horizontal gene transfer. The baseplate is a specialized structure at the tip of bacteriophage tails that plays key roles in host recognition, cell wall penetration, and DNA ejection. We have used high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy to determine the structure of the S. aureus bacteriophage 80α baseplate at 3.75 Å resolution, allowing atomic models to be built for most of the major tail and baseplate proteins, including two tail fibers, the receptor binding protein, and part of the tape measure protein. Our structure provides a structural basis for understanding host recognition, cell wall penetration and DNA ejection in viruses infecting Gram-positive bacteria. Comparison to other phages demonstrates the modular design of baseplate proteins, and the adaptations to the host that take place during the evolution of staphylococci and other pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- James L. Kizziah
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Keith A. Manning
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Altaira D. Dearborn
- Structural Virology Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Terje Dokland
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
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Mitarai N. How pirate phage interferes with helper phage: Comparison of the two distinct strategies. J Theor Biol 2019; 486:110096. [PMID: 31786182 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2019.110096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2019] [Revised: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Pirate phages use the structural proteins encoded by unrelated helper phages to propagate. The best-studied example is the pirate P4 and helper P2 of coliphages, and it has been known that the Staphylococcus aureus pathogenicity islands (SaPIs) that can encode virulence factors act as pirate phages, too. When alone in the host, the pirate phages act as a prophage, but when the helper phage gene is also in the same host cell, the pirate phage has ability to exploit the helper phages structural proteins to produce pirate phage particles and spread, interfering with the helper phage production. The known helper phages in these systems are temperate phages. Interestingly, the interference of the pirate phage to the helper phage occurs in a different manner between the SaPI-helper system and the P4-P2 system. SaPIs cannot lyse a helper lysogen upon infection, while when a helper phage lyse a SaPI lysogen, most of the phage particles produced are the SaPI particles. On the contrary, in the P4-P2 system, a pirate phage P4 can lyse a helper P2 lysogen to produce mostly the P4 particles, while when P2 phage lyses a P4 lysogen, most of the produced phages are the P2 particles. Here, the consequences of these different strategies in the pirate and helper phage spreading among uninfected host is analyzed by using mathematical models. It is found that SaPI's strategy interferes with the helper phage spreading significantly more than the P4's strategy, because SaPI interferes with the helper phage's main reproduction step, while P4 interferes only by forcing the helper lysogens to lyse. However, the interference is found to be weaker in the spatially structured environment than in the well-mixed environment. This is because, in the spatial setting, the system tends to self-organize so that the helper phages take over the front of propagation due to the need of helper phage for the pirate phage spreading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Namiko Mitarai
- The Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 17, Copenhagen, 2100-DK, Denmark.
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40
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Dokland T. Molecular Piracy: Redirection of Bacteriophage Capsid Assembly by Mobile Genetic Elements. Viruses 2019; 11:v11111003. [PMID: 31683607 PMCID: PMC6893505 DOI: 10.3390/v11111003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Horizontal transfer of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) is a key aspect of the evolution of bacterial pathogens. Transduction by bacteriophages is especially important in this process. Bacteriophages—which assemble a machinery for efficient encapsidation and transfer of genetic material—often transfer MGEs and other chromosomal DNA in a more-or-less nonspecific low-frequency process known as generalized transduction. However, some MGEs have evolved highly specific mechanisms to take advantage of bacteriophages for their own propagation and high-frequency transfer while strongly interfering with phage production—“molecular piracy”. These mechanisms include the ability to sense the presence of a phage entering lytic growth, specific recognition and packaging of MGE genomes into phage capsids, and the redirection of the phage assembly pathway to form capsids with a size more appropriate for the size of the MGE. This review focuses on the process of assembly redirection, which has evolved convergently in many different MGEs from across the bacterial universe. The diverse mechanisms that exist suggest that size redirection is an evolutionarily advantageous strategy for many MGEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terje Dokland
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35242, USA.
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41
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Abstract
ABSTRACT
Pathogenicity islands are members of a vast collection of genomic islands that encode important virulence, antibiotic resistance and other accessory functions and have a critical role in bacterial gene transfer.
Staphylococcus aureus
is host to a large family of such islands, known as SaPIs, which encode super antigen and other virulence determinants, are mobilized by helper phages and transferred at extremely high frequencies. They benefit their host cells by interfering with phage predation and enhancing horizontal gene transfer. This chapter describes their life cycle, the bases of their phage interference mechanisms, their transfer system and their conversion to antibacterial agents for treatment ofstaphylococcal infections.
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42
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Manning KA, Quiles-Puchalt N, Penadés JR, Dokland T. A novel ejection protein from bacteriophage 80α that promotes lytic growth. Virology 2018; 525:237-247. [PMID: 30308422 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2018.09.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Revised: 09/28/2018] [Accepted: 09/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Many staphylococcal bacteriophages encode a minor capsid protein between the genes for the portal and scaffolding proteins. In Staphylococcus aureus bacteriophage 80α, this protein, called gp44, is essential for the production of viable phage, but dispensable for the phage-mediated mobilization of S. aureus pathogenicity islands. We show here that gp44 is not required for capsid assembly, DNA packaging or ejection of the DNA, nor for generalized transduction of plasmids. An 80α Δ44 mutant could be complemented in trans by gp44 expressed from a plasmid, indicating that gp44 plays a post-injection role in the host. Our results show that gp44 is an ejection (pilot) protein that is involved in deciding the fate of the phage DNA after injection. Our data are consistent with a model in which gp44 acts as a regulatory protein that promotes progression to the lytic cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keith A Manning
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Nuria Quiles-Puchalt
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - José R Penadés
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Terje Dokland
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
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Fillol-Salom A, Martínez-Rubio R, Abdulrahman RF, Chen J, Davies R, Penadés JR. Phage-inducible chromosomal islands are ubiquitous within the bacterial universe. THE ISME JOURNAL 2018; 12:2114-2128. [PMID: 29875435 PMCID: PMC6092414 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-018-0156-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2017] [Revised: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Phage-inducible chromosomal islands (PICIs) are a recently discovered family of pathogenicity islands that contribute substantively to horizontal gene transfer, host adaptation and virulence in Gram-positive cocci. Here we report that similar elements also occur widely in Gram-negative bacteria. As with the PICIs from Gram-positive cocci, their uniqueness is defined by a constellation of features: unique and specific attachment sites, exclusive PICI genes, a phage-dependent mechanism of induction, conserved replication origin organization, convergent mechanisms of phage interference, and specific packaging of PICI DNA into phage-like infectious particles, resulting in very high transfer frequencies. We suggest that the PICIs represent two or more distinct lineages, have spread widely throughout the bacterial world, and have diverged much more slowly than their host organisms or their prophage cousins. Overall, these findings represent the discovery of a universal class of mobile genetic elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfred Fillol-Salom
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8TA, UK
| | - Roser Martínez-Rubio
- Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, 46113, Moncada, Valencia, Spain
| | - Rezheen F Abdulrahman
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8TA, UK
| | - John Chen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Robert Davies
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8TA, UK
| | - José R Penadés
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8TA, UK.
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Harper DR. Criteria for Selecting Suitable Infectious Diseases for Phage Therapy. Viruses 2018; 10:v10040177. [PMID: 29621149 PMCID: PMC5923471 DOI: 10.3390/v10040177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2018] [Revised: 03/30/2018] [Accepted: 03/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the main issues with phage therapy from its earliest days has been the selection of appropriate disease targets. In early work, when the nature of bacteriophages was unknown, many inappropriate targets were selected, including some now known to have no bacterial involvement whatsoever. More recently, with greatly increased understanding of the highly specific nature of bacteriophages and of their mechanisms of action, it has been possible to select indications with an increased chance of a successful therapeutic outcome. The factors to be considered include the characteristics of the infection to be treated, the characteristics of the bacteria involved, and the characteristics of the bacteriophages themselves. At a later stage all of this information then informs trial design and regulatory considerations. Where the work is undertaken towards the development of a commercial product it is also necessary to consider the planned market, protection of intellectual property, and the sourcing of funding to support the work. It is clear that bacteriophages are not a “magic bullet”. However, with careful and appropriate selection of a limited set of initial targets, it should be possible to obtain proof of concept for the many elements required for the success of phage therapy. In time, success with these initial targets could then support more widespread use.
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Affiliation(s)
- David R Harper
- Evolution Biotechnologies, Colworth Science Park, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire MK44 1LZ, UK.
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45
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Pirnay JP, Merabishvili M, Van Raemdonck H, De Vos D, Verbeken G. Bacteriophage Production in Compliance with Regulatory Requirements. Methods Mol Biol 2018; 1693:233-252. [PMID: 29119444 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7395-8_18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
In this chapter we review bacteriophage production requirements to help institutions, which wish to manufacture bacteriophage products for human use in compliance with the applicable regulatory expectancies, defining production processes and implementing relevant controls ensuring quality, safety, and efficacy of the final products. The information disclosed in this chapter can also serve as a basis for discussions with competent authorities regarding the development of expedited bacteriophage product development and licensing pathways, including relevant and pragmatic requirements, and allowing for the full exploitation of bacteriophages as natural controllers of bacterial populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Paul Pirnay
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Bruynstraat 1, 1120, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Maia Merabishvili
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Bruynstraat 1, 1120, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Hilde Van Raemdonck
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Bruynstraat 1, 1120, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Daniel De Vos
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Bruynstraat 1, 1120, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Gilbert Verbeken
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Bruynstraat 1, 1120, Brussels, Belgium
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46
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Kizziah JL, Manning KA, Dearborn AD, Wall EA, Klenow L, Hill RLL, Spilman MS, Stagg SM, Christie GE, Dokland T. Cleavage and Structural Transitions during Maturation of Staphylococcus aureus Bacteriophage 80α and SaPI1 Capsids. Viruses 2017; 9:v9120384. [PMID: 29258203 PMCID: PMC5744158 DOI: 10.3390/v9120384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2017] [Revised: 12/08/2017] [Accepted: 12/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In the tailed bacteriophages, DNA is packaged into spherical procapsids, leading to expansion into angular, thin-walled mature capsids. In many cases, this maturation is accompanied by cleavage of the major capsid protein (CP) and other capsid-associated proteins, including the scaffolding protein (SP) that serves as a chaperone for the assembly process. Staphylococcus aureus bacteriophage 80α is capable of high frequency mobilization of mobile genetic elements called S. aureus pathogenicity islands (SaPIs), such as SaPI1. SaPI1 redirects the assembly pathway of 80α to form capsids that are smaller than those normally made by the phage alone. Both CP and SP of 80α are N-terminally processed by a host-encoded protease, Prp. We have analyzed phage mutants that express pre-cleaved or uncleavable versions of CP or SP, and show that the N-terminal sequence in SP is absolutely required for assembly, but does not need to be cleaved in order to produce viable capsids. Mutants with pre-cleaved or uncleavable CP display normal viability. We have used cryo-EM to solve the structures of mature capsids from an 80α mutant expressing uncleavable CP, and from wildtype SaPI1. Comparisons with structures of 80α and SaPI1 procapsids show that capsid maturation involves major conformational changes in CP, consistent with a release of the CP N-arm by SP. The hexamers reorganize during maturation to accommodate the different environments in the 80α and SaPI1 capsids.
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Affiliation(s)
- James L Kizziah
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
| | - Keith A Manning
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
| | - Altaira D Dearborn
- Protein Expression Laboratory, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, The National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | - Erin A Wall
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.
| | - Laura Klenow
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.
| | - Rosanne L L Hill
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
| | - Michael S Spilman
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA.
| | - Scott M Stagg
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA.
| | - Gail E Christie
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.
| | - Terje Dokland
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
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47
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Mata CP, Luque D, Gómez-Blanco J, Rodríguez JM, González JM, Suzuki N, Ghabrial SA, Carrascosa JL, Trus BL, Castón JR. Acquisition of functions on the outer capsid surface during evolution of double-stranded RNA fungal viruses. PLoS Pathog 2017; 13:e1006755. [PMID: 29220409 PMCID: PMC5738138 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Revised: 12/20/2017] [Accepted: 11/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Unlike their counterparts in bacterial and higher eukaryotic hosts, most fungal viruses are transmitted intracellularly and lack an extracellular phase. Here we determined the cryo-EM structure at 3.7 Å resolution of Rosellinia necatrix quadrivirus 1 (RnQV1), a fungal double-stranded (ds)RNA virus. RnQV1, the type species of the family Quadriviridae, has a multipartite genome consisting of four monocistronic segments. Whereas most dsRNA virus capsids are based on dimers of a single protein, the ~450-Å-diameter, T = 1 RnQV1 capsid is built of P2 and P4 protein heterodimers, each with more than 1000 residues. Despite a lack of sequence similarity between the two proteins, they have a similar α-helical domain, the structural signature shared with the lineage of the dsRNA bluetongue virus-like viruses. Domain insertions in P2 and P4 preferential sites provide additional functions at the capsid outer surface, probably related to enzyme activity. The P2 insertion has a fold similar to that of gelsolin and profilin, two actin-binding proteins with a function in cytoskeleton metabolism, whereas the P4 insertion suggests protease activity involved in cleavage of the P2 383-residue C-terminal region, absent in the mature viral particle. Our results indicate that the intimate virus-fungus partnership has altered the capsid genome-protective and/or receptor-binding functions. Fungal virus evolution has tended to allocate enzyme activities to the virus capsid outer surface. Most fungal RNA viruses are transmitted by cytoplasmic interchange without leaving the host. We report the cryo-electron microscopy structure, at near-atomic resolution, of the double-stranded RNA Rosellinia necatrix quadrivirus 1 (RnQV1); this virus infects the fungus Rosellinia necatrix, a pathogenic ascomycete to a wide range of plants. At difference most dsRNA viruses, whose capsid is made of protein homodimers, RnQV1 is based on a single-shelled lattice built of 60 P2-P4 heterodimers. Despite a lack of sequence similarity, P2 and P4 have a similar α-helical domain, a structural signature shared with the dsRNA virus lineage. In addition to organizing the viral genome and replicative machinery, P2 and P4 have acquired new functions by inserting complex domains in preferential insertion sites. Whereas the P2 insertion domain has a fold like that of actin-binding proteins, the structure of the P4 insertion domain indicates proteolytic activity. Understanding the structure of a fungal virus capsid with enzyme activities could allow its development as nanoreactors for biotechnological application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos P. Mata
- Department of Structure of Macromolecules, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel Luque
- Department of Structure of Macromolecules, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
- Centro Nacional de Microbiología/ISCIII, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
| | - Josué Gómez-Blanco
- Department of Structure of Macromolecules, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - José M. González
- Department of Structure of Macromolecules, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Said A. Ghabrial
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States of America
| | - José L. Carrascosa
- Department of Structure of Macromolecules, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Benes L. Trus
- Imaging Sciences Laboratory, CIT, NIH, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
| | - José R. Castón
- Department of Structure of Macromolecules, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
- * E-mail:
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48
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The Obscure World of Integrative and Mobilizable Elements, Highly Widespread Elements that Pirate Bacterial Conjugative Systems. Genes (Basel) 2017; 8:genes8110337. [PMID: 29165361 PMCID: PMC5704250 DOI: 10.3390/genes8110337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2017] [Revised: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Conjugation is a key mechanism of bacterial evolution that involves mobile genetic elements. Recent findings indicated that the main actors of conjugative transfer are not the well-known conjugative or mobilizable plasmids but are the integrated elements. This paper reviews current knowledge on “integrative and mobilizable elements” (IMEs) that have recently been shown to be highly diverse and highly widespread but are still rarely described. IMEs encode their own excision and integration and use the conjugation machinery of unrelated co-resident conjugative element for their own transfer. Recent studies revealed a much more complex and much more diverse lifecycle than initially thought. Besides their main transmission as integrated elements, IMEs probably use plasmid-like strategies to ensure their maintenance after excision. Their interaction with conjugative elements reveals not only harmless hitchhikers but also hunters that use conjugative elements as target for their integration or harmful parasites that subvert the conjugative apparatus of incoming elements to invade cells that harbor them. IMEs carry genes conferring various functions, such as resistance to antibiotics, that can enhance the fitness of their hosts and that contribute to their maintenance in bacterial populations. Taken as a whole, IMEs are probably major contributors to bacterial evolution.
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49
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Dearborn AD, Wall EA, Kizziah JL, Klenow L, Parker LK, Manning KA, Spilman MS, Spear JM, Christie GE, Dokland T. Competing scaffolding proteins determine capsid size during mobilization of Staphylococcus aureus pathogenicity islands. eLife 2017; 6:30822. [PMID: 28984245 PMCID: PMC5644958 DOI: 10.7554/elife.30822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus pathogenicity islands (SaPIs), such as SaPI1, exploit specific helper bacteriophages, like 80α, for their high frequency mobilization, a process termed 'molecular piracy'. SaPI1 redirects the helper's assembly pathway to form small capsids that can only accommodate the smaller SaPI1 genome, but not a complete phage genome. SaPI1 encodes two proteins, CpmA and CpmB, that are responsible for this size redirection. We have determined the structures of the 80α and SaPI1 procapsids to near-atomic resolution by cryo-electron microscopy, and show that CpmB competes with the 80α scaffolding protein (SP) for a binding site on the capsid protein (CP), and works by altering the angle between capsomers. We probed these interactions genetically and identified second-site suppressors of lethal mutations in SP. Our structures show, for the first time, the detailed interactions between SP and CP in a bacteriophage, providing unique insights into macromolecular assembly processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Altaira D Dearborn
- Protein Expression Laboratory, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States
| | - Erin A Wall
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, United States
| | - James L Kizziah
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, United States
| | - Laura Klenow
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, United States
| | - Laura K Parker
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, United States.,Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, United States
| | - Keith A Manning
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, United States
| | | | - John M Spear
- Biological Science Imaging Resource, Florida State University, Tallahassee, United States
| | - Gail E Christie
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, United States
| | - Terje Dokland
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, United States
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50
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Hill RLL, Vlach J, Parker LK, Christie GE, Saad JS, Dokland T. Derepression of SaPIbov1 Is Independent of φNM1 Type 2 dUTPase Activity and Is Inhibited by dUTP and dUMP. J Mol Biol 2017; 429:1570-1580. [PMID: 28400210 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2017.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2016] [Revised: 04/05/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic human pathogen able to transfer virulence genes to other cells through the mobilization of S. aureus pathogenicity islands (SaPIs). SaPIs are derepressed and packaged into phage-like transducing particles by helper phages like 80α or φNM1. Phages 80α and φNM1 encode structurally distinct dUTPases, Dut80α (type 1) and DutNM1 (type 2). Both dUTPases can interact with the SaPIbov1 Stl master repressor, leading to derepression and mobilization. That two structurally distinct dUTPases bind the same repressor led us to speculate that dUTPase activity may be important to the derepression process. In type 1 dUTPases, Stl binding is inhibited by dUTP. The purpose of this study was to assess the involvement of dUTP binding and dUTPase activity in derepression by DutNM1. DutNM1 activity mutants were created and tested for dUTPase activity using a novel NMR-based assay. We found that all DutNM1 null activity mutants interacted with the SaPIbov1 Stl C-terminal domain, formed DutNM1-Stl heterodimers, and caused the release of the Pstr promoter. However, promoter release was inhibited in the presence of dUTP or dUMP. We tested two φNM1 mutant phages that had null enzyme activity and found that they could still mobilize SaPIbov1. These results show that only the apo form of DutNM1 is active in Stl derepression and that dUTPase activity is not necessary for the mobilization of SaPIbov1 by DutNM1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosanne L L Hill
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Jiri Vlach
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Laura K Parker
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Gail E Christie
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Jamil S Saad
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Terje Dokland
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
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