1
|
Arbulu S, Kjos M. Revisiting the Multifaceted Roles of Bacteriocins : The Multifaceted Roles of Bacteriocins. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2024; 87:41. [PMID: 38351266 PMCID: PMC10864542 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-024-02357-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Bacteriocins are gene-encoded antimicrobial peptides produced by bacteria. These peptides are heterogeneous in terms of structure, antimicrobial activities, biosynthetic clusters, and regulatory mechanisms. Bacteriocins are widespread in nature and may contribute to microbial diversity due to their capacity to target specific bacteria. Primarily studied as food preservatives and therapeutic agents, their function in natural settings is however less known. This review emphasizes the ecological significance of bacteriocins as multifunctional peptides by exploring bacteriocin distribution, mobility, and their impact on bacterial population dynamics and biofilms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sara Arbulu
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway.
| | - Morten Kjos
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Daubie V, Chalhoub H, Blasdel B, Dahma H, Merabishvili M, Glonti T, De Vos N, Quintens J, Pirnay JP, Hallin M, Vandenberg O. Determination of phage susceptibility as a clinical diagnostic tool: A routine perspective. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:1000721. [PMID: 36211951 PMCID: PMC9532704 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1000721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
As the global burden of disease caused by multidrug resistant bacteria is a major source of concern, credible clinical alternatives to antibiotic therapy, such as personalized phage therapy, are actively explored. Although phage therapy has been used for more than a century, the issue of an easy to implement diagnostic tool for determining phage susceptibility that meets current routine clinical needs is still open. In this Review, we summarize the existing methods used for determining phage activity on bacteria, including the three reference methods: the spot test, the double agar overlay plaque assay, and the Appelmans method. The first two methods rely on the principle of challenging the overnight growth of a lawn of bacteria in an agar matrix to a known relative phage to bacteria concentration and represent good screening tools to determine if the tested phage can be used for a “passive” and or “active” treatment. Beside these methods, several techniques, based on “real-time” growth kinetics assays (GKA) have been developed or are under development. They all monitor the growth of clinical isolates in the presence of phages, but use various detection methods, from classical optical density to more sophisticated techniques such as computer-assisted imagery, flow-cytometry, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) or metabolic indicators. Practical considerations as well as information provided about phage activity are reviewed for each technique. Finally, we also discuss the analytical and interpretative requirements for the implementation of a phage susceptibility testing tool in routine clinical microbiology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Valéry Daubie
- Innovation and Business Development Unit, LHUB-ULB, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Microbiology, LHUB-ULB, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Houssein Chalhoub
- Innovation and Business Development Unit, LHUB-ULB, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- Centre for Environmental Health and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Bob Blasdel
- R&D department, Vesale Bioscience, Noville-sur-Mehaigne, Belgium
| | - Hafid Dahma
- Department of Microbiology, LHUB-ULB, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Maya Merabishvili
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Tea Glonti
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Nathalie De Vos
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, LHUB-ULB, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Johan Quintens
- R&D department, Vesale Bioscience, Noville-sur-Mehaigne, Belgium
| | - Jean-Paul Pirnay
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Marie Hallin
- Centre for Environmental Health and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Olivier Vandenberg
- Innovation and Business Development Unit, LHUB-ULB, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- Centre for Environmental Health and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Olivier Vandenberg,
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Antibacterial Effects of Bacteriocin PLNC8 against Helicobacter pylori and Its Potential Mechanism of Action. Foods 2022; 11:foods11091235. [PMID: 35563958 PMCID: PMC9104758 DOI: 10.3390/foods11091235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a bacterium that can cause a variety of gastric diseases. Most bacteriocins have gained popularity due to their non-toxic effects on cells and antibacterial effects against a wide range of pathogenic bacteria. In this study, the chemical synthesis of the bipeptide bacteriocin PLNC8 was used to investigate its possible action mechanism against H. pylori ZJC03 in vitro. Results showed that PLNC8 had significant anti-H. pylori ZJC03 potential, which resulted in a significant reduction in urease activity and a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 80 μM. PLNC8 inhibited the growth of H. pylori ZJC03, disrupting its structure as observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In addition, PLNC8 decreased the ATP level and hydrogen peroxide sensitivity of H. pylori ZJC03. In conclusion, PLNC8 disrupts the ability of H. pylori ZJC03 to alter the host environment, providing a new avenue for the prevention and control of H. pylori infection, providing a theoretical foundation for further elucidation of its regulatory mechanism.
Collapse
|
4
|
A Comprehensive Review on the Anticancer Potential of Bacteriocin: Preclinical and Clinical Studies. Int J Pept Res Ther 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10989-022-10386-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
|
5
|
Letarov AV. History of Early Bacteriophage Research and Emergence of Key Concepts in Virology. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2021; 85:1093-1010. [PMID: 33050848 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297920090096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The viruses of bacteria - bacteriophages - were discovered 20 years after the discovery of viruses. However, this was mainly the bacteriophage research that, after the first 40 years, yielded the modern concept of the virus and to large extent formed the grounds of the emerging molecular genetics and molecular biology. Many specific aspects of the bacteriophage research history have been addressed in the existing publications. The integral outline of the events that led to the formation of the key concepts of modern virology is presented in this review. This includes the opposition of F. d'Herelle and J. Bordet viewpoints over the nature of the bacteriophage, the history of lysogeny discovery and of determination of the mechanisms of underlying this phenomenon, the work of the Phage group led by M. Delbruck in USA, the development of the genetic analysis of bacteriophages and other research that eventually led to emergence of the concept of the virus (bacteriophage) as a transmissive genetic program. The review also covers a brief history of early applications of the bacteriophages such as phage therapy and phage typing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A V Letarov
- Winogradskii Institute of Microbiology, Federal Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 117312, Russia. .,Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
The Biotechnological Potential of Secondary Metabolites from Marine Bacteria. JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/jmse7060176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Marine habitats are a rich source of molecules of biological interest. In particular, marine bacteria attract attention with their ability to synthesize structurally diverse classes of bioactive secondary metabolites with high biotechnological potential. The last decades were marked by numerous discoveries of biomolecules of bacterial symbionts, which have long been considered metabolites of marine animals. Many compounds isolated from marine bacteria are unique in their structure and biological activity. Their study has made a significant contribution to the discovery and production of new natural antimicrobial agents. Identifying the mechanisms and potential of this type of metabolite production in marine bacteria has become one of the noteworthy trends in modern biotechnology. This path has become not only one of the most promising approaches to the development of new antibiotics, but also a potential target for controlling the viability of pathogenic bacteria.
Collapse
|
7
|
Hols P, Ledesma-García L, Gabant P, Mignolet J. Mobilization of Microbiota Commensals and Their Bacteriocins for Therapeutics. Trends Microbiol 2019; 27:690-702. [PMID: 30987817 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2019.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Revised: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
With the specter of resurgence of pathogens due to the propagation of antibiotic-resistance genes, innovative antimicrobial strategies are needed. In this review, we summarize the beneficial aspects of bacteriocins, a set of miscellaneous peptide-based bacterium killers, compared with classical antibiotics, and emphasize their use in cocktails to curb the emergence of new resistance. We highlight that their prey spectrum, their molecular malleability, and their multiple modes of production might lead to specific and personalized treatments to prevent systemic disorders. Complementarily, we discuss how we might exploit prevailing bacterial commensals, such as Streptococcus salivarius, and deliberately mobilize their bacteriocin arsenal 'on site' to cure multiresistant infections or finely reshape the endogenous microbiota for prophylaxis purposes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Hols
- Biochemistry and Genetics of Microorganisms (BGM), Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology (LIBST), UCLouvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Laura Ledesma-García
- Biochemistry and Genetics of Microorganisms (BGM), Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology (LIBST), UCLouvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Philippe Gabant
- Syngulon, rue du Bois Saint-Jean 15/1, 4102, Seraing, Belgium
| | - Johann Mignolet
- Biochemistry and Genetics of Microorganisms (BGM), Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology (LIBST), UCLouvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; Syngulon, rue du Bois Saint-Jean 15/1, 4102, Seraing, Belgium.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
February 1939: the start of the first journal publishing research in virology. Arch Virol 2019; 164:1499-1500. [PMID: 30888561 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-019-04200-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
|
9
|
|
10
|
Demain AL, Vandamme EJ, Collins J, Buchholz K. History of Industrial Biotechnology. Ind Biotechnol (New Rochelle N Y) 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/9783527807796.ch1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Arnold L. Demain
- Drew University; Charles A. Dana Research Institute for Scientists Emeriti (R.I.S.E.); 36, Madison Ave Madison NJ 07940 USA
| | - Erick J. Vandamme
- Ghent University; Department of Biochemical and Microbial Technology; Belgium
| | - John Collins
- Science historian; Leipziger Straße 82A; 38124 Braunschweig Germany
| | - Klaus Buchholz
- Technical University Braunschweig; Institute of Chemical Engineering; Hans-Sommer-Str. 10 38106 Braunschweig Germany
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Rios AC, Moutinho CG, Pinto FC, Del Fiol FS, Jozala A, Chaud MV, Vila MMDC, Teixeira JA, Balcão VM. Alternatives to overcoming bacterial resistances: State-of-the-art. Microbiol Res 2016; 191:51-80. [PMID: 27524653 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2016.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2015] [Revised: 03/28/2016] [Accepted: 04/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Worldwide, bacterial resistance to chemical antibiotics has reached such a high level that endangers public health. Presently, the adoption of alternative strategies that promote the elimination of resistant microbial strains from the environment is of utmost importance. This review discusses and analyses several (potential) alternative strategies to current chemical antibiotics. Bacteriophage (or phage) therapy, although not new, makes use of strictly lytic phage particles as an alternative, or a complement, in the antimicrobial treatment of bacterial infections. It is being rediscovered as a safe method, because these biological entities devoid of any metabolic machinery do not possess any affinity whatsoever to eukaryotic cells. Lysin therapy is also recognized as an innovative antimicrobial therapeutic option, since the topical administration of preparations containing purified recombinant lysins with amounts in the order of nanograms, in infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria, demonstrated a high therapeutic potential by causing immediate lysis of the target bacterial cells. Additionally, this therapy exhibits the potential to act synergistically when combined with certain chemical antibiotics already available on the market. Another potential alternative antimicrobial therapy is based on the use of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), amphiphilic polypeptides that cause disruption of the bacterial membrane and can be used in the treatment of bacterial, fungal and viral infections, in the prevention of biofilm formation, and as antitumoral agents. Interestingly, bacteriocins are a common strategy of bacterial defense against other bacterial agents, eliminating the potential opponents of the former and increasing the number of available nutrients in the environment for their own growth. They can be applied in the food industry as biopreservatives and as probiotics, and also in fighting multi-resistant bacterial strains. The use of antibacterial antibodies promises to be extremely safe and effective. Additionally, vaccination emerges as one of the most promising preventive strategies. All these will be tackled in detail in this review paper.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra C Rios
- LaBNUS-Biomaterials and Nanotechnology Laboratory, i(bs)2i(bs)(2)-intelligent biosensing and biomolecule stabilization research group, University of Sorocaba, Sorocaba/SP, Brazil
| | - Carla G Moutinho
- CEB-Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; University Fernando Pessoa, Porto, Portugal
| | | | - Fernando S Del Fiol
- LaBNUS-Biomaterials and Nanotechnology Laboratory, i(bs)2i(bs)(2)-intelligent biosensing and biomolecule stabilization research group, University of Sorocaba, Sorocaba/SP, Brazil
| | - Angela Jozala
- LaBNUS-Biomaterials and Nanotechnology Laboratory, i(bs)2i(bs)(2)-intelligent biosensing and biomolecule stabilization research group, University of Sorocaba, Sorocaba/SP, Brazil
| | - Marco V Chaud
- LaBNUS-Biomaterials and Nanotechnology Laboratory, i(bs)2i(bs)(2)-intelligent biosensing and biomolecule stabilization research group, University of Sorocaba, Sorocaba/SP, Brazil
| | - Marta M D C Vila
- LaBNUS-Biomaterials and Nanotechnology Laboratory, i(bs)2i(bs)(2)-intelligent biosensing and biomolecule stabilization research group, University of Sorocaba, Sorocaba/SP, Brazil
| | - José A Teixeira
- CEB-Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Victor M Balcão
- LaBNUS-Biomaterials and Nanotechnology Laboratory, i(bs)2i(bs)(2)-intelligent biosensing and biomolecule stabilization research group, University of Sorocaba, Sorocaba/SP, Brazil; CEB-Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Isolation and characterization of bacteriophages infecting nocardioforms in wastewater treatment plant. BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2014; 2014:151952. [PMID: 25140256 PMCID: PMC4129933 DOI: 10.1155/2014/151952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2014] [Accepted: 07/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Activated sludge plants (ASP) are associated with the stable foaming problem worldwide. Apart from the physical and chemical treatment methods, biological treatment method has been least explored and may prove to be a novel and ecofriendly approach to tackle the problem of stable foam formation. In ASP Nocardia species are commonly found and are one of the major causes for forming sticky and stable foam. This study describes the isolation and characterization of three Nocardia bacteriophages NOC1, NOC2, and NOC3 for the control of Nocardia species. The bacteriophages isolated in this study have shown promising results in controlling foam producing bacterial growth under laboratory conditions, suggesting that it may prove useful in the field as an alternative biocontrol agent to reduce the foaming problem. To the best of our knowledge to date no work has been published from India related to biological approach for the control of foaming.
Collapse
|
13
|
Ghazaryan L, Tonoyan L, Ashhab AA, Soares MIM, Gillor O. The role of stress in colicin regulation. Arch Microbiol 2014; 196:753-64. [PMID: 25048159 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-014-1017-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2014] [Revised: 07/05/2014] [Accepted: 07/11/2014] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Bacteriocins produced by Enterobacteriaceae are high molecular weight toxic proteins that kill target cells through a variety of mechanisms, including pore formation and nucleic acid degradation. What is remarkable about these toxins is that their expression results in death to the producing cells and therefore bacteriocin induction have to be tightly regulated, often confined to times of stress. Information on the regulation of bacteriocins produced by enteric bacteria is sketchy as their expression has only been elucidated in a handful of bacteria. Here, we review the known regulatory mechanisms of enteric bacteriocins and explore the expression of 12 of them in response to various triggers: DNA-damaging agents, stringent response, catabolite repression, oxidative stress, growth phase, osmolarity, cold shock, nutrient deprivation, anaerobiosis and pH stress. Our results indicate that the expression of bacteriocins is mostly confined to mutagenic triggers, while all other triggers tested are limited inducers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lusine Ghazaryan
- Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, J. Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University, 84990, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
14
|
Kim YC, Tarr AW, Penfold CN. Colicin import into E. coli cells: a model system for insights into the import mechanisms of bacteriocins. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2014; 1843:1717-31. [PMID: 24746518 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2014.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2014] [Revised: 04/04/2014] [Accepted: 04/06/2014] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Bacteriocins are a diverse group of ribosomally synthesized protein antibiotics produced by most bacteria. They range from small lanthipeptides produced by lactic acid bacteria to much larger multi domain proteins of Gram negative bacteria such as the colicins from Escherichia coli. For activity bacteriocins must be released from the producing cell and then bind to the surface of a sensitive cell to instigate the import process leading to cell death. For over 50years, colicins have provided a working platform for elucidating the structure/function studies of bacteriocin import and modes of action. An understanding of the processes that contribute to the delivery of a colicin molecule across two lipid membranes of the cell envelope has advanced our knowledge of protein-protein interactions (PPI), protein-lipid interactions and the role of order-disorder transitions of protein domains pertinent to protein transport. In this review, we provide an overview of the arrangement of genes that controls the synthesis and release of the mature protein. We examine the uptake processes of colicins from initial binding and sequestration of binding partners to crossing of the outer membrane, and then discuss the translocation of colicins through the cell periplasm and across the inner membrane to their cytotoxic site of action. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Protein trafficking and secretion in bacteria. Guest Editors: Anastassios Economou and Ross Dalbey.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Young Chan Kim
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Alexander W Tarr
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Christopher N Penfold
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Ribosomally synthesized peptides from natural sources. J Antibiot (Tokyo) 2014; 67:277-89. [DOI: 10.1038/ja.2013.138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2013] [Revised: 10/07/2013] [Accepted: 11/25/2013] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
|
16
|
Satwika D, Klassen R, Meinhardt F. Anticodon nuclease encoding virus-like elements in yeast. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2012; 96:345-56. [PMID: 22899498 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-012-4349-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2012] [Revised: 07/31/2012] [Accepted: 08/01/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A variety of yeast species are known to host systems of cytoplasmic linear dsDNA molecules that establish replication and transcription independent of the nucleus via self-encoded enzymes that are phylogenetically related to those encoded by true infective viruses. Such yeast virus-like elements (VLE) fall into two categories: autonomous VLEs encode all the essential functions for their inheritance, and additional, dependent VLEs, which may encode a toxin-antitoxin system, generally referred to as killer toxin and immunity. In the two cases studied in depth, killer toxin action relies on chitin binding and hydrophobic domains, together allowing a separate toxic subunit to sneak into the target cell. Mechanistically, the latter sabotages codon-anticodon interaction by endonucleolytic cleavage of specific tRNAs 3' of the wobble nucleotide. This primary action provokes a number of downstream effects, including DNA damage accumulation, which contribute to the cell-killing efficiency and highlight the importance of proper transcript decoding capacity for other cellular processes than translation itself. Since wobble uridine modifications are crucial for efficient anticodon nuclease (ACNase) action of yeast killer toxins, the latter are valuable tools for the characterization of a surprisingly complex network regulating the addition of wobble base modifications in tRNA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dhira Satwika
- Institut für Molekulare Mikrobiologie und Biotechnologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstr. 3, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
17
|
Sankaran N. Mutant bacteriophages, Frank Macfarlane Burnet, and the changing nature of "genespeak" in the 1930s. JOURNAL OF THE HISTORY OF BIOLOGY 2010; 43:571-599. [PMID: 20665082 DOI: 10.1007/s10739-009-9201-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
In 1936, Frank Macfarlane Burnet published a paper entitled "Induced lysogenicity and the mutation of bacteriophage within lysogenic bacteria," in which he demonstrated that the introduction of a specific bacteriophage into a bacterial strain consistently and repeatedly imparted a specific property - namely the resistance to a different phage - to the bacterial strain that was originally susceptible to lysis by that second phage. Burnet's explanation for this change was that the first phage was causing a mutation in the bacterium which rendered it and its successive generations of offspring resistant to lysogenicity. At the time, this idea was a novel one that needed compelling evidence to be accepted. While it is difficult for us today to conceive of mutations and genes outside the context of DNA as the physico-chemical basis of genes, in the mid 1930s, when this paper was published, DNA's role as the carrier of hereditary information had not yet been discovered and genes and mutations were yet to acquire physical and chemical forms. Also, during that time genes were considered to exist only in organisms capable of sexual modes of replication and the status of bacteria and viruses as organisms capable of containing genes and manifesting mutations was still in question. Burnet's paper counts among those pieces of work that helped dispel the notion that genes, inheritance and mutations were tied to an organism's sexual status. In this paper, I analyze the implications of Burnet's paper for the understanding of various concepts - such as "mutation," and "gene," - at the time it was published, and how those understandings shaped the development of the meanings of these terms and our modern conceptions thereof.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Neeraja Sankaran
- School of Sciences and Engineering, The American University in Cairo, Cairo, 11511, Egypt.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Daegelen P, Studier FW, Lenski RE, Cure S, Kim JF. Tracing ancestors and relatives of Escherichia coli B, and the derivation of B strains REL606 and BL21(DE3). J Mol Biol 2009; 394:634-43. [PMID: 19765591 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2009.09.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2009] [Revised: 09/09/2009] [Accepted: 09/10/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Antecedents of Escherichia coli B have been traced through publications, inferences, and personal communication to a strain from the Institut Pasteur in Paris used by d'Herelle in his studies of bacteriophages as early as 1918 (a strain not in the current collection). This strain appears to have passed from d'Herelle to Bordet in 1920, and from Bordet to at least three other laboratories by 1925. The strain that Gratia received from Bordet was apparently passed to Bronfenbrenner by 1924 and from him to Luria around 1941. Delbrück and Luria published the first paper calling this strain B in 1942. Its choice as the common host for phages T1-T7 by the phage group that developed around Delbrück, Luria, and Hershey in the 1940s led to widespread use of B along with E. coli K-12, chosen about the same time for biochemical and genetic studies by Tatum and Lederberg. Not all currently available strains related to B are descended from the B of Delbrück and Luria; at least three strains with somewhat different characteristics were derived independently by Hershey directly from the Bronfenbrenner strain, and a strain that appears to have passed from Bordet to Wollman is in the current Collection of the Institut Pasteur. The succession of manipulations and strains that led from the B of Delbrück and Luria to REL606 and BL21(DE3) is given, established in part through evidence from their recently determined complete genome sequences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Daegelen
- CNRS-UMR 8030, GENOSCOPE (CEA), 2 rue Gaston Crémieux, CP 5706, 91000 Evry Cedex, France.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
19
|
Kropinski AM, Mazzocco A, Waddell TE, Lingohr E, Johnson RP. Enumeration of bacteriophages by double agar overlay plaque assay. Methods Mol Biol 2009; 501:69-76. [PMID: 19066811 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-60327-164-6_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 497] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
The determination of the concentration of infectious phage particles is fundamental to many protocols in phage biology, genetics, and molecular biology. In this chapter the classical overlay protocol is described.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew M Kropinski
- Public Health Agency of Canada, Laboratory for Foodborne Diseases, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
20
|
Parisien A, Allain B, Zhang J, Mandeville R, Lan CQ. Novel alternatives to antibiotics: bacteriophages, bacterial cell wall hydrolases, and antimicrobial peptides. J Appl Microbiol 2008; 104:1-13. [PMID: 18171378 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2007.03498.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Extensive research has been conducted on the development of three groups of naturally occurring antimicrobials as novel alternatives to antibiotics: bacteriophages (phages), bacterial cell wall hydrolases (BCWH), and antimicrobial peptides (AMP). Phage therapies are highly efficient, highly specific, and relatively cost-effective. However, precautions have to be taken in the selection of phage candidates for therapeutic applications as some phages may encode toxins and others may, when integrated into host bacterial genome and converted to prophages in a lysogenic cycle, lead to bacterial immunity and altered virulence. BCWH are divided into three groups: lysozymes, autolysins, and virolysins. Among them, virolysins are the most promising candidates as they are highly specific and have the capability to rapidly lyse antibiotic-resistant bacteria on a generally species-specific basis. Finally, AMP are a family of natural proteins produced by eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms or encoded by phages. AMP are of vast diversity in term of size, structure, mode of action, and specificity and have a high potential for clinical therapeutic applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Parisien
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|