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Wang M, Zhang J, Wei J, Jiang L, Jiang L, Sun Y, Zeng Z, Wang Z. Phage-inspired strategies to combat antibacterial resistance. Crit Rev Microbiol 2024; 50:196-211. [PMID: 38400715 DOI: 10.1080/1040841x.2023.2181056] [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: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in clinically priority pathogensis now a major threat to public health worldwide. Phages are bacterial parasites that efficiently infect or kill specific strains and represent the most abundant biological entities on earth, showing great attraction as potential antibacterial therapeutics in combating AMR. This review provides a summary of phage-inspired strategies to combat AMR. We firstly cover the phage diversity, and then explain the biological principles of phage therapy that support the use of phages in the post-antimicrobial era. Furthermore, we state the versatility methods of phage therapy both from direct access as well as collateral access. Among the direct access approaches, we discuss the use of phage cocktail therapy, phage-encoded endolysins and the bioengineering for function improvement of used phages or endolysins. On the other hand, we introduce the collateral access, including the phages antimicrobial immunity combined therapy and phage-based novel antibacterial mimic molecules. Nowadays, more and more talented and enthusiastic scientist, doctors, pharmacists, media, authorities, and industry are promoting the progress of phage therapy, and proposed more phages-inspired strategy to make them more tractable to combat AMR and benefit more people, more animal and diverse environment in "one health" framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mianzhi Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Junxuan Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
- National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance of Animal Original Bacteria, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jingyi Wei
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Lei Jiang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Li Jiang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Yongxue Sun
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
- National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance of Animal Original Bacteria, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhenling Zeng
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
- National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance of Animal Original Bacteria, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhiqiang Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
- International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, the Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou, China
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2
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Longin H, Broeckaert N, van Noort V, Lavigne R, Hendrix H. Posttranslational modifications in bacteria during phage infection. Curr Opin Microbiol 2024; 77:102425. [PMID: 38262273 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2024.102425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
During phage infection, both virus and bacteria attempt to gain and/or maintain control over critical bacterial functions, through a plethora of strategies. These strategies include posttranslational modifications (PTMs, including phosphorylation, ribosylation, and acetylation), as rapid and dynamic regulators of protein behavior. However, to date, knowledge on the topic remains scarce and fragmented, while a more systematic investigation lies within reach. The release of AlphaFold, which advances PTM enzyme discovery and functional elucidation, and the increasing inclusivity and scale of mass spectrometry applications to new PTM types, could significantly accelerate research in the field. In this review, we highlight the current knowledge on PTMs during phage infection, and conceive a possible pipeline for future research, following an enzyme-target-function scheme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannelore Longin
- Computational Systems Biology, Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20 box 2460, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium; Laboratory of Gene Technology, Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 21 box 2462, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
| | - Nand Broeckaert
- Computational Systems Biology, Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20 box 2460, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium; Laboratory of Gene Technology, Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 21 box 2462, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
| | - Vera van Noort
- Computational Systems Biology, Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20 box 2460, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium; Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333 Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Rob Lavigne
- Laboratory of Gene Technology, Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 21 box 2462, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
| | - Hanne Hendrix
- Laboratory of Gene Technology, Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 21 box 2462, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium.
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Francis N, Behera MR, Natarajan K, Laishram RS. Tyrosine phosphorylation controlled poly(A) polymerase I activity regulates general stress response in bacteria. Life Sci Alliance 2023; 6:6/3/e202101148. [PMID: 36535710 PMCID: PMC9764084 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202101148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA 3'-end polyadenylation that marks transcripts for degradation is implicated in general stress response in Escherichia coli Yet, the mechanism and regulation of poly(A) polymerase I (PAPI) in stress response are obscure. We show that pcnB (that encodes PAPI)-null mutation widely stabilises stress response mRNAs and imparts cellular tolerance to multiple stresses, whereas PAPI ectopic expression renders cells stress-sensitive. We demonstrate that there is a substantial loss of PAPI activity on stress exposure that functionally phenocopies pcnB-null mutation stabilising target mRNAs. We identify PAPI tyrosine phosphorylation at the 202 residue (Y202) that is enormously enhanced on stress exposure. This phosphorylation inhibits PAPI polyadenylation activity under stress. Consequentially, PAPI phosphodeficient mutation (tyrosine 202 to phenylalanine, Y202F) fails to stimulate mRNA expression rendering cells stress-sensitive. Bacterial tyrosine kinase Wzc phosphorylates PAPI-Y202 residue, and that wzc-null mutation renders cells stress-sensitive. Accordingly, wzc-null mutation has no effect on stress sensitivity in the presence of pcnB-null or pcnB-Y202F mutation. We also establish that PAPI phosphorylation-dependent stress tolerance mechanism is distinct and operates downstream of the primary stress regulator RpoS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nimmy Francis
- Cardiovascular and Diabetes Biology Group, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Trivandrum, India
| | - Malaya R Behera
- Cardiovascular and Diabetes Biology Group, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Trivandrum, India.,Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, India
| | - Kathiresan Natarajan
- Transdisciplinary Biology Program, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Trivandrum, India
| | - Rakesh S Laishram
- Cardiovascular and Diabetes Biology Group, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Trivandrum, India
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4
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Tabib-Salazar A, Wigneshweraraj S. RNA Management During T7 Infection. PHAGE (NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y.) 2022; 3:136-140. [PMID: 36793551 PMCID: PMC9917321 DOI: 10.1089/phage.2022.0029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Post-transcriptional regulation (PTR) determines the fate of RNA in the cell and represents an important control point in the flow of genetic information and thus underpins many, if not all, aspects of cell function. Host takeover by phages through misappropriation of the bacterial transcription machinery is a relatively advanced area of research. However, several phages encode small regulatory RNAs, which are major mediators of PTR, and produce specific proteins to manipulate bacterial enzymes involved in RNA degradation.1-4 However, PTR during phage development still represents an understudied area of phage-bacteria interaction biology. In this study, we discuss the potential role PTR could play in determining the fate of RNA during the lifecycle of the prototypic phage T7 in Escherichia coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Tabib-Salazar
- Section of Molecular Microbiology, Department of Infectious Disease, MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sivaramesh Wigneshweraraj
- Section of Molecular Microbiology, Department of Infectious Disease, MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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5
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Bacteria deplete deoxynucleotides to defend against bacteriophage infection. Nat Microbiol 2022; 7:1200-1209. [PMID: 35817891 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-022-01158-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
DNA viruses and retroviruses consume large quantities of deoxynucleotides (dNTPs) when replicating. The human antiviral factor SAMHD1 takes advantage of this vulnerability in the viral lifecycle, and inhibits viral replication by degrading dNTPs into their constituent deoxynucleosides and inorganic phosphate. Here, we report that bacteria use a similar strategy to defend against bacteriophage infection. We identify a family of defensive bacterial deoxycytidine triphosphate (dCTP) deaminase proteins that convert dCTP into deoxyuracil nucleotides in response to phage infection. We also identify a family of phage resistance genes that encode deoxyguanosine triphosphatase (dGTPase) enzymes, which degrade dGTP into phosphate-free deoxyguanosine and are distant homologues of human SAMHD1. Our results suggest that bacterial defensive proteins deplete specific deoxynucleotides (either dCTP or dGTP) from the nucleotide pool during phage infection, thus starving the phage of an essential DNA building block and halting its replication. Our study shows that manipulation of the dNTP pool is a potent antiviral strategy shared by both prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
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Boeckman J, Korn A, Yao G, Ravindran A, Gonzalez C, Gill J. Sheep in wolves’ clothing: Temperate T7-like bacteriophages and the origins of the Autographiviridae. Virology 2022; 568:86-100. [DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2022.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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7
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Wang Z, Wang H, Mulvenna N, Sanz-Hernandez M, Zhang P, Li Y, Ma J, Wang Y, Matthews S, Wigneshweraraj S, Liu B. A Bacteriophage DNA Mimic Protein Employs a Non-specific Strategy to Inhibit the Bacterial RNA Polymerase. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:692512. [PMID: 34149677 PMCID: PMC8208478 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.692512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA mimicry by proteins is a strategy that employed by some proteins to occupy the binding sites of the DNA-binding proteins and deny further access to these sites by DNA. Such proteins have been found in bacteriophage, eukaryotic virus, prokaryotic, and eukaryotic cells to imitate non-coding functions of DNA. Here, we report another phage protein Gp44 from bacteriophage SPO1 of Bacillus subtilis, employing mimicry as part of unusual strategy to inhibit host RNA polymerase. Consisting of three simple domains, Gp44 contains a DNA binding motif, a flexible DNA mimic domain and a random-coiled domain. Gp44 is able to anchor to host genome and interact bacterial RNA polymerase via the β and β' subunit, resulting in bacterial growth inhibition. Our findings represent a non-specific strategy that SPO1 phage uses to target different bacterial transcription machinery regardless of the structural variations of RNA polymerases. This feature may have potential applications like generation of genetic engineered phages with Gp44 gene incorporated used in phage therapy to target a range of bacterial hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhihao Wang
- BioBank, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
- MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Hongliang Wang
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Nancy Mulvenna
- MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Maximo Sanz-Hernandez
- MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Peipei Zhang
- BioBank, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Yanqing Li
- BioBank, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Jia Ma
- BioBank, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Yawen Wang
- BioBank, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Steve Matthews
- MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sivaramesh Wigneshweraraj
- MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Bing Liu
- BioBank, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
- Instrument Analysis Centre of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
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8
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Benler S, Yutin N, Antipov D, Rayko M, Shmakov S, Gussow AB, Pevzner P, Koonin EV. Thousands of previously unknown phages discovered in whole-community human gut metagenomes. MICROBIOME 2021; 9:78. [PMID: 33781338 PMCID: PMC8008677 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-021-01017-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Double-stranded DNA bacteriophages (dsDNA phages) play pivotal roles in structuring human gut microbiomes; yet, the gut virome is far from being fully characterized, and additional groups of phages, including highly abundant ones, continue to be discovered by metagenome mining. A multilevel framework for taxonomic classification of viruses was recently adopted, facilitating the classification of phages into evolutionary informative taxonomic units based on hallmark genes. Together with advanced approaches for sequence assembly and powerful methods of sequence analysis, this revised framework offers the opportunity to discover and classify unknown phage taxa in the human gut. RESULTS A search of human gut metagenomes for circular contigs encoding phage hallmark genes resulted in the identification of 3738 apparently complete phage genomes that represent 451 putative genera. Several of these phage genera are only distantly related to previously identified phages and are likely to found new families. Two of the candidate families, "Flandersviridae" and "Quimbyviridae", include some of the most common and abundant members of the human gut virome that infect Bacteroides, Parabacteroides, and Prevotella. The third proposed family, "Gratiaviridae," consists of less abundant phages that are distantly related to the families Autographiviridae, Drexlerviridae, and Chaseviridae. Analysis of CRISPR spacers indicates that phages of all three putative families infect bacteria of the phylum Bacteroidetes. Comparative genomic analysis of the three candidate phage families revealed features without precedent in phage genomes. Some "Quimbyviridae" phages possess Diversity-Generating Retroelements (DGRs) that generate hypervariable target genes nested within defense-related genes, whereas the previously known targets of phage-encoded DGRs are structural genes. Several "Flandersviridae" phages encode enzymes of the isoprenoid pathway, a lipid biosynthesis pathway that so far has not been known to be manipulated by phages. The "Gratiaviridae" phages encode a HipA-family protein kinase and glycosyltransferase, suggesting these phages modify the host cell wall, preventing superinfection by other phages. Hundreds of phages in these three and other families are shown to encode catalases and iron-sequestering enzymes that can be predicted to enhance cellular tolerance to reactive oxygen species. CONCLUSIONS Analysis of phage genomes identified in whole-community human gut metagenomes resulted in the delineation of at least three new candidate families of Caudovirales and revealed diverse putative mechanisms underlying phage-host interactions in the human gut. Addition of these phylogenetically classified, diverse, and distinct phages to public databases will facilitate taxonomic decomposition and functional characterization of human gut viromes. Video abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean Benler
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland 20894 USA
| | - Natalya Yutin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland 20894 USA
| | - Dmitry Antipov
- Center for Algorithmic Biotechnology, Institute for Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, 199004 Russia
| | - Mikhail Rayko
- Center for Algorithmic Biotechnology, Institute for Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, 199004 Russia
| | - Sergey Shmakov
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland 20894 USA
| | - Ayal B. Gussow
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland 20894 USA
| | - Pavel Pevzner
- Center for Algorithmic Biotechnology, Institute for Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, 199004 Russia
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093 USA
| | - Eugene V. Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland 20894 USA
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Isaev A, Drobiazko A, Sierro N, Gordeeva J, Yosef I, Qimron U, Ivanov NV, Severinov K. Phage T7 DNA mimic protein Ocr is a potent inhibitor of BREX defence. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:5397-5406. [PMID: 32338761 PMCID: PMC7261183 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Revised: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BREX (for BacteRiophage EXclusion) is a superfamily of common bacterial and archaeal defence systems active against diverse bacteriophages. While the mechanism of BREX defence is currently unknown, self versus non-self differentiation requires methylation of specific asymmetric sites in host DNA by BrxX (PglX) methyltransferase. Here, we report that T7 bacteriophage Ocr, a DNA mimic protein that protects the phage from the defensive action of type I restriction-modification systems, is also active against BREX. In contrast to the wild-type phage, which is resistant to BREX defence, T7 lacking Ocr is strongly inhibited by BREX, and its ability to overcome the defence could be complemented by Ocr provided in trans. We further show that Ocr physically associates with BrxX methyltransferase. Although BREX+ cells overproducing Ocr have partially methylated BREX sites, their viability is unaffected. The result suggests that, similar to its action against type I R-M systems, Ocr associates with as yet unidentified BREX system complexes containing BrxX and neutralizes their ability to both methylate and exclude incoming phage DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artem Isaev
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow 143028, Russia
| | - Alena Drobiazko
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow 143028, Russia
| | - Nicolas Sierro
- Philip Morris International R&D, Philip Morris Products S.A., Neuchatel 2000, Switzerland
| | - Julia Gordeeva
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow 143028, Russia
| | - Ido Yosef
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Udi Qimron
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Nikolai V Ivanov
- Philip Morris International R&D, Philip Morris Products S.A., Neuchatel 2000, Switzerland
| | - Konstantin Severinov
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow 143028, Russia
- Waksman Institute of Microbiology, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
- Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 34/5 Vavilov str., 119334 Moscow, Russia
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10
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Tabib-Salazar A, Mulvenna N, Severinov K, Matthews SJ, Wigneshweraraj S. Xenogeneic Regulation of the Bacterial Transcription Machinery. J Mol Biol 2019; 431:4078-4092. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2019.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Revised: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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11
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Kim BO, Kim ES, Yoo YJ, Bae HW, Chung IY, Cho YH. Phage-Derived Antibacterials: Harnessing the Simplicity, Plasticity, and Diversity of Phages. Viruses 2019; 11:v11030268. [PMID: 30889807 PMCID: PMC6466130 DOI: 10.3390/v11030268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Revised: 03/14/2019] [Accepted: 03/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the successful use of antibacterials, the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria has become a serious threat to global healthcare. In this era of antibacterial crisis, bacteriophages (phages) are being explored as an antibacterial treatment option since they possess a number of advantages over conventional antibacterials, especially in terms of specificity and biosafety; phages specifically lyse target bacteria while not affecting normal and/or beneficial bacteria and display little or no toxicity in that they are mainly composed of proteins and nucleic acids, which consequently significantly reduces the time and cost involved in antibacterial development. However, these benefits also create potential issues regarding antibacterial spectra and host immunity; the antibacterial spectra being very narrow when compared to those of chemicals, with the phage materials making it possible to trigger host immune responses, which ultimately disarm antibacterial efficacy upon successive treatments. In addition, phages play a major role in horizontal gene transfer between bacterial populations, which poses serious concerns for the potential of disastrous consequences regarding antibiotic resistance. Fortunately, however, recent advancements in synthetic biology tools and the speedy development of phage genome resources have allowed for research on methods to circumvent the potentially disadvantageous aspects of phages. These novel developments empower research which goes far beyond traditional phage therapy approaches, opening up a new chapter for phage applications with new antibacterial platforms. Herein, we not only highlight the most recent synthetic phage engineering and phage product engineering studies, but also discuss a new proof-of-concept for phage-inspired antibacterial design based on the studies undertaken by our group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bi-O Kim
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy and Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, CHA University, Gyeonggi-do 13488, Korea.
| | - Eun Sook Kim
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy and Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, CHA University, Gyeonggi-do 13488, Korea.
| | - Yeon-Ji Yoo
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy and Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, CHA University, Gyeonggi-do 13488, Korea.
| | - Hee-Won Bae
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy and Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, CHA University, Gyeonggi-do 13488, Korea.
| | - In-Young Chung
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy and Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, CHA University, Gyeonggi-do 13488, Korea.
| | - You-Hee Cho
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy and Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, CHA University, Gyeonggi-do 13488, Korea.
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12
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Zhao K, Song S, Zhao Z, Liu Z, Ji Y, Gu P, Fan X, Li Q. The complete genome sequence of Escherichia phage SRT7, a novel T7-like phage. Arch Virol 2019; 164:1217-1219. [PMID: 30762120 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-019-04182-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2018] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In this study, we isolated a novel virulent Escherichia phage, SRT7. Its genome is a double-stranded linear DNA molecule containing 39,883 bp. Direct terminal repeats with a length of 175 bp, are present at both ends of the genome. The G+C content is 50.54%. Forty-seven putative protein coding genes were identified. No tRNA or rRNA genes were identified. Comparative genomic analysis revealed that phage SRT7 is a novel member of the T7-like phage cluster, but it forms a singleton subcluster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaili Zhao
- School of Biological Science and Technology, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, Shandong, China
| | - Shukai Song
- School of Biological Science and Technology, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, Shandong, China
| | - Zhipeng Zhao
- School of Biological Science and Technology, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, Shandong, China
| | - Zichen Liu
- School of Biological Science and Technology, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, Shandong, China
| | - Yan Ji
- School of Biological Science and Technology, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, Shandong, China
| | - Pengfei Gu
- School of Biological Science and Technology, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, Shandong, China
| | - Xiangyu Fan
- School of Biological Science and Technology, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, Shandong, China.
| | - Qiang Li
- School of Biological Science and Technology, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, Shandong, China.
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Abstract
T7 development in Escherichia coli requires the inhibition of the housekeeping form of the bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP), Eσ70, by two T7 proteins: Gp2 and Gp5.7. Although the biological role of Gp2 is well understood, that of Gp5.7 remains to be fully deciphered. Here, we present results from functional and structural analyses to reveal that Gp5.7 primarily serves to inhibit EσS, the predominant form of the RNAP in the stationary phase of growth, which accumulates in exponentially growing E. coli as a consequence of the buildup of guanosine pentaphosphate [(p)ppGpp] during T7 development. We further demonstrate a requirement of Gp5.7 for T7 development in E. coli cells in the stationary phase of growth. Our finding represents a paradigm for how some lytic phages have evolved distinct mechanisms to inhibit the bacterial transcription machinery to facilitate phage development in bacteria in the exponential and stationary phases of growth.
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14
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Tabib-Salazar A, Liu B, Shadrin A, Burchell L, Wang Z, Wang Z, Goren MG, Yosef I, Qimron U, Severinov K, Matthews SJ, Wigneshweraraj S. Full shut-off of Escherichia coli RNA-polymerase by T7 phage requires a small phage-encoded DNA-binding protein. Nucleic Acids Res 2017; 45:7697-7707. [PMID: 28486695 PMCID: PMC5569994 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkx370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Infection of Escherichia coli by the T7 phage leads to rapid and selective inhibition of the bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP) by the 7 kDa T7 protein Gp2. We describe the identification and functional and structural characterisation of a novel 7 kDa T7 protein, Gp5.7, which adopts a winged helix-turn-helix-like structure and specifically represses transcription initiation from host RNAP-dependent promoters on the phage genome via a mechanism that involves interaction with DNA and the bacterial RNAP. Whereas Gp2 is indispensable for T7 growth in E. coli, we show that Gp5.7 is required for optimal infection outcome. Our findings provide novel insights into how phages fine-tune the activity of the host transcription machinery to ensure both successful and efficient phage progeny development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Tabib-Salazar
- MRC Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Infection, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Bing Liu
- MRC Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Infection, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Andrey Shadrin
- G.K. Skryabin Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow 142290, Russia
| | - Lynn Burchell
- MRC Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Infection, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Zhexin Wang
- MRC Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Infection, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Zhihao Wang
- MRC Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Infection, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Moran G Goren
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Ido Yosef
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Udi Qimron
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Konstantin Severinov
- Waksman Institute of Microbiology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 190 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8020, USA
| | - Steve J Matthews
- MRC Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Infection, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
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15
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Stazic D, Pekarski I, Kopf M, Lindell D, Steglich C. A Novel Strategy for Exploitation of Host RNase E Activity by a Marine Cyanophage. Genetics 2016; 203:1149-59. [PMID: 27182944 PMCID: PMC4937493 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.115.183475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2015] [Accepted: 05/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that infection of Prochlorococcus MED4 by the cyanophage P-SSP7 leads to increased transcript levels of host endoribonuclease (RNase) E. However, it has remained enigmatic whether this is part of a host defense mechanism to degrade phage messenger RNA (mRNA) or whether this single-strand RNA-specific RNase is utilized by the phage. Here we describe a hitherto unknown means through which this cyanophage increases expression of RNase E during phage infection and concomitantly protects its own RNA from degradation. We identified two functionally different RNase E mRNA variants, one of which is significantly induced during phage infection. This transcript lacks the 5' UTR, is considerably more stable than the other transcript, and is likely responsible for increased RNase E protein levels during infection. Furthermore, selective enrichment and in vivo analysis of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) during infection revealed that phage antisense RNAs (asRNAs) sequester complementary mRNAs to form dsRNAs, such that the phage protein-coding transcriptome is nearly completely covered by asRNAs. In contrast, the host protein-coding transcriptome is only partially covered by asRNAs. These data suggest that P-SSP7 orchestrates degradation of host RNA by increasing RNase E expression while masking its own transcriptome from RNase E degradation in dsRNA complexes. We propose that this combination of strategies contributes significantly to phage progeny production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damir Stazic
- Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Irena Pekarski
- Department of Biology, Technion Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
| | - Matthias Kopf
- Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Debbie Lindell
- Department of Biology, Technion Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
| | - Claudia Steglich
- Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
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16
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Gone S, Alfonso-Prieto M, Paudyal S, Nicholson AW. Mechanism of Ribonuclease III Catalytic Regulation by Serine Phosphorylation. Sci Rep 2016; 6:25448. [PMID: 27150669 PMCID: PMC4858673 DOI: 10.1038/srep25448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2016] [Accepted: 04/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Ribonuclease III (RNase III) is a conserved, gene-regulatory bacterial endonuclease that cleaves double-helical structures in diverse coding and noncoding RNAs. RNase III is subject to multiple levels of control, reflective of its global regulatory functions. Escherichia coli (Ec) RNase III catalytic activity is known to increase during bacteriophage T7 infection, reflecting the expression of the phage-encoded protein kinase, T7PK. However, the mechanism of catalytic enhancement is unknown. This study shows that Ec-RNase III is phosphorylated on serine in vitro by purified T7PK, and identifies the targets as Ser33 and Ser34 in the N-terminal catalytic domain. Kinetic experiments reveal a 5-fold increase in kcat and a 1.4-fold decrease in Km following phosphorylation, providing a 7.4–fold increase in catalytic efficiency. Phosphorylation does not change the rate of substrate cleavage under single-turnover conditions, indicating that phosphorylation enhances product release, which also is the rate-limiting step in the steady-state. Molecular dynamics simulations provide a mechanism for facilitated product release, in which the Ser33 phosphomonoester forms a salt bridge with the Arg95 guanidinium group, thereby weakening RNase III engagement of product. The simulations also show why glutamic acid substitution at either serine does not confer enhancement, thus underscoring the specific requirement for a phosphomonoester.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swapna Gone
- Department of Chemistry, Philadelphia PA, 19122, USA
| | | | - Samridhdi Paudyal
- Department of Biology, Temple University, Philadelphia PA, 19122, USA
| | - Allen W Nicholson
- Department of Chemistry, Philadelphia PA, 19122, USA.,Department of Biology, Temple University, Philadelphia PA, 19122, USA
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17
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Jers C, Soufi B, Grangeasse C, Deutscher J, Mijakovic I. Phosphoproteomics in bacteria: towards a systemic understanding of bacterial phosphorylation networks. Expert Rev Proteomics 2014; 5:619-27. [DOI: 10.1586/14789450.5.4.619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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18
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Klimuk E, Akulenko N, Makarova KS, Ceyssens PJ, Volchenkov I, Lavigne R, Severinov K. Host RNA polymerase inhibitors encoded by ϕKMV-like phages of pseudomonas. Virology 2013; 436:67-74. [DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2012.10.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2012] [Revised: 09/27/2012] [Accepted: 10/11/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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19
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Shadrin A, Sheppard C, Savalia D, Severinov K, Wigneshweraraj S. Overexpression of Escherichia coli udk mimics the absence of T7 Gp2 function and thereby abrogates successful infection by T7 phage. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2012; 159:269-274. [PMID: 23242801 PMCID: PMC3709561 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.064527-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Successful infection of Escherichia coli by bacteriophage T7 relies upon the transcription of the T7 genome by two different RNA polymerases (RNAps). The bacterial RNAp transcribes early T7 promoters, whereas middle and late T7 genes are transcribed by the T7 RNAp. Gp2, a T7-encoded transcription factor, is a 7 kDa product of an essential middle T7 gene 2, and is a potent inhibitor of the host RNAp. The essential biological role of Gp2 is to inhibit transcription of early T7 genes that fail to terminate efficiently in order to facilitate the coordinated usage of the T7 genome by both host and phage RNAps. Overexpression of the E. coli udk gene, which encodes a uridine/cytidine kinase, interferes with T7 infection. We demonstrate that overexpression of udk antagonizes Gp2 function in E. coli in the absence of T7 infection and thus independently of T7-encoded factors. It seems that overexpression of udk reduces Gp2 stability and functionality during T7 infection, which consequently results in inadequate inhibition of host RNAp and in the accumulation of early T7 transcripts. In other words, overexpression of udk mimics the absence of Gp2 during T7 infection. Our study suggests that the transcriptional regulation of the T7 genome is surprisingly complex and might potentially be affected at many levels by phage- and host-encoded factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey Shadrin
- Section of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Carol Sheppard
- Section of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Dhruti Savalia
- Waksman Institute for Microbiology and Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Konstantin Severinov
- Molecular Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,Gene Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,Waksman Institute for Microbiology and Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Sivaramesh Wigneshweraraj
- Section of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, UK
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20
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Drulis-Kawa Z, Majkowska-Skrobek G, Maciejewska B, Delattre AS, Lavigne R. Learning from bacteriophages - advantages and limitations of phage and phage-encoded protein applications. Curr Protein Pept Sci 2012; 13:699-722. [PMID: 23305359 PMCID: PMC3594737 DOI: 10.2174/138920312804871193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 161] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2012] [Revised: 07/12/2012] [Accepted: 09/20/2012] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of bacteria resistance to most of the currently available antibiotics has become a critical therapeutic problem. The bacteria causing both hospital and community-acquired infections are most often multidrug resistant. In view of the alarming level of antibiotic resistance between bacterial species and difficulties with treatment, alternative or supportive antibacterial cure has to be developed. The presented review focuses on the major characteristics of bacteriophages and phage-encoded proteins affecting their usefulness as antimicrobial agents. We discuss several issues such as mode of action, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, resistance and manufacturing aspects of bacteriophages and phage-encoded proteins application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuzanna Drulis-Kawa
- Institute of Genetics and Microbiology, University of Wroclaw, Przybyszewskiego 63/77, 51-148 Wroclaw, Poland.
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21
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Gone S, Nicholson AW. Bacteriophage T7 protein kinase: Site of inhibitory autophosphorylation, and use of dephosphorylated enzyme for efficient modification of protein in vitro. Protein Expr Purif 2012; 85:218-23. [PMID: 22951189 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2012.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2012] [Revised: 08/12/2012] [Accepted: 08/13/2012] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Bacteriophage T7 encodes a serine/threonine-specific protein kinase that phosphorylates multiple cellular proteins during infection of Escherichia coli. Recombinant T7 protein kinase (T7PK), normally purified in phosphorylated form, exhibits a modest level of phosphotransferase activity. A procedure is described that provides dephosphorylated T7PK with an enhanced ability to phosphorylate protein substrates, including translation initiation factor IF1 and the nuclease domain of ribonuclease III. Mass spectrometric analysis identified Thr12 as the site of IF1 phosphorylation in vitro. T7PK undergoes Mg(2+)-dependent autophosphorylation on Ser216 in vitro, which also is modified in vivo. The inability to isolate the presumptive autophosphorylation-resistant T7PK Ser216Ala mutant indicates a toxicity of the phosphotransferase activity and suggests a role for Ser216 modification in limiting T7PK activity during infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swapna Gone
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, 1901 North 13th St., Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
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22
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Häuser R, Blasche S, Dokland T, Haggård-Ljungquist E, von Brunn A, Salas M, Casjens S, Molineux I, Uetz P. Bacteriophage protein-protein interactions. Adv Virus Res 2012; 83:219-98. [PMID: 22748812 PMCID: PMC3461333 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-394438-2.00006-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Bacteriophages T7, λ, P22, and P2/P4 (from Escherichia coli), as well as ϕ29 (from Bacillus subtilis), are among the best-studied bacterial viruses. This chapter summarizes published protein interaction data of intraviral protein interactions, as well as known phage-host protein interactions of these phages retrieved from the literature. We also review the published results of comprehensive protein interaction analyses of Pneumococcus phages Dp-1 and Cp-1, as well as coliphages λ and T7. For example, the ≈55 proteins encoded by the T7 genome are connected by ≈43 interactions with another ≈15 between the phage and its host. The chapter compiles published interactions for the well-studied phages λ (33 intra-phage/22 phage-host), P22 (38/9), P2/P4 (14/3), and ϕ29 (20/2). We discuss whether different interaction patterns reflect different phage lifestyles or whether they may be artifacts of sampling. Phages that infect the same host can interact with different host target proteins, as exemplified by E. coli phage λ and T7. Despite decades of intensive investigation, only a fraction of these phage interactomes are known. Technical limitations and a lack of depth in many studies explain the gaps in our knowledge. Strategies to complete current interactome maps are described. Although limited space precludes detailed overviews of phage molecular biology, this compilation will allow future studies to put interaction data into the context of phage biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Häuser
- Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
- Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sonja Blasche
- Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Terje Dokland
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | | | - Albrecht von Brunn
- Max-von-Pettenkofer-Institut, Lehrstuhl Virologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München, Germany
| | - Margarita Salas
- Centro de Biología Molecular “Severo Ochoa” (CSIC-UAM), Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sherwood Casjens
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Pathology Department, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Ian Molineux
- Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Texas–Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Peter Uetz
- Center for the Study of Biological Complexity, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
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23
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Opalka N, Brown J, Lane WJ, Twist KAF, Landick R, Asturias FJ, Darst SA. Complete structural model of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase from a hybrid approach. PLoS Biol 2010; 8. [PMID: 20856905 PMCID: PMC2939025 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1000483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2010] [Accepted: 08/04/2010] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
A combination of structural approaches yields a complete atomic model of the highly biochemically characterized Escherichia coli RNA polymerase, enabling fuller exploitation of E. coli as a model for understanding transcription. The Escherichia coli transcription system is the best characterized from a biochemical and genetic point of view and has served as a model system. Nevertheless, a molecular understanding of the details of E. coli transcription and its regulation, and therefore its full exploitation as a model system, has been hampered by the absence of high-resolution structural information on E. coli RNA polymerase (RNAP). We use a combination of approaches, including high-resolution X-ray crystallography, ab initio structural prediction, homology modeling, and single-particle cryo-electron microscopy, to generate complete atomic models of E. coli core RNAP and an E. coli RNAP ternary elongation complex. The detailed and comprehensive structural descriptions can be used to help interpret previous biochemical and genetic data in a new light and provide a structural framework for designing experiments to understand the function of the E. coli lineage-specific insertions and their role in the E. coli transcription program. Transcription, or the synthesis of RNA from DNA, is one of the most important processes in the cell. The central enzyme of transcription is the DNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RNAP), a large, macromolecular assembly consisting of at least five subunits. Historically, much of our fundamental information on the process of transcription has come from genetic and biochemical studies of RNAP from the model bacterium Escherichia coli. More recently, major breakthroughs in our understanding of the mechanism of action of RNAP have come from high resolution crystal structures of various bacterial, archaebacterial, and eukaryotic enzymes. However, all of our high-resolution bacterial RNAP structures are of enzymes from the thermophiles Thermus aquaticus or T. thermophilus, organisms with poorly characterized transcription systems. It has thus far proven impossible to obtain a high-resolution structure of E. coli RNAP, which has made it difficult to relate the large collection of genetic and biochemical data on RNAP function directly to the available structural information. Here, we used a combination of approaches—high-resolution X-ray crystallography of E. coli RNAP fragments, ab initio structure prediction, homology modeling, and single-particle cryo-electron microscopy—to generate complete atomic models of E. coli RNAP. Our detailed and comprehensive structural models provide the heretofore missing structural framework for understanding the function of the highly characterized E. coli RNAP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natacha Opalka
- The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Jesse Brown
- Department of Cell Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - William J. Lane
- Department of Pathology, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | | | - Robert Landick
- Departments of Biochemistry and Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Francisco J. Asturias
- Department of Cell Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (FJA); (SAD)
| | - Seth A. Darst
- The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail: (FJA); (SAD)
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24
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Savalia D, Robins W, Nechaev S, Molineux I, Severinov K. The role of the T7 Gp2 inhibitor of host RNA polymerase in phage development. J Mol Biol 2010; 402:118-26. [PMID: 20650282 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2010.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2010] [Revised: 07/05/2010] [Accepted: 07/12/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Bacteriophage T7 relies on its own RNA polymerase (RNAp) to transcribe its middle and late genes. Early genes, which include the viral RNAp gene, are transcribed by the host RNAp from three closely spaced strong promoters-A1, A2, and A3. One middle T7 gene product, gp2, is a strong inhibitor of the host RNAp. Gp2 is essential and is required late in infection, during phage DNA packaging. Here, we explore the role of gp2 in controlling host RNAp transcription during T7 infection. We demonstrate that in the absence of gp2, early viral transcripts continue to accumulate throughout the infection. Decreasing transcription from early promoter A3 is sufficient to make gp2 dispensable for phage infection. Gp2 also becomes dispensable when an antiterminating element boxA, located downstream of early promoters, is deleted. The results thus suggest that antiterminated transcription by host RNAp from the A3 promoter is interfering with phage development and that the only essential role for gp2 is to prevent this transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhruti Savalia
- Waksman Institute for Microbiology, 190 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
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25
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Lane WJ, Darst SA. Molecular evolution of multisubunit RNA polymerases: sequence analysis. J Mol Biol 2010; 395:671-85. [PMID: 19895820 PMCID: PMC2813377 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2009.10.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2009] [Revised: 10/22/2009] [Accepted: 10/26/2009] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Transcription in all cellular organisms is performed by multisubunit, DNA-dependent RNA polymerases that synthesize RNA from DNA templates. Previous sequence and structural studies have elucidated the importance of shared regions common to all multisubunit RNA polymerases. In addition, RNA polymerases contain multiple lineage-specific domain insertions involved in protein-protein and protein-nucleic acid interactions. We have created comprehensive multiple sequence alignments using all available sequence data for the multisubunit RNA polymerase large subunits, including the bacterial beta and beta' subunits and their homologs from archaebacterial RNA polymerases, the eukaryotic RNA polymerases I, II, and III, the nuclear-cytoplasmic large double-stranded DNA virus RNA polymerases, and plant plastid RNA polymerases. To overcome technical difficulties inherent to the large-subunit sequences, including large sequence length, small and large lineage-specific insertions, split subunits, and fused proteins, we created an automated and customizable sequence retrieval and processing system. In addition, we used our alignments to create a more expansive set of shared sequence regions and bacterial lineage-specific domain insertions. We also analyzed the intergenic gap between the bacterial beta and beta' genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- William J. Lane
- The Rockefeller University, Box 224, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Seth A. Darst
- The Rockefeller University, Box 224, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021, USA
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26
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T7 phage protein Gp2 inhibits the Escherichia coli RNA polymerase by antagonizing stable DNA strand separation near the transcription start site. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2010; 107:2247-52. [PMID: 20133868 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0907908107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Infection of Escherichia coli by the T7 phage leads to rapid and selective inhibition of the host RNA polymerase (RNAP)--a multi-subunit enzyme responsible for gene transcription--by a small ( approximately 7 kDa) phage-encoded protein called Gp2. Gp2 is also a potent inhibitor of E. coli RNAP in vitro. Here we describe the first atomic resolution structure of Gp2, which reveals a distinct run of surface-exposed negatively charged amino acid residues on one side of the molecule. Our comprehensive mutagenesis data reveal that two conserved arginine residues located on the opposite side of Gp2 are important for binding to and inhibition of RNAP. Based on a structural model of the Gp2-RNAP complex, we propose that inhibition of transcription by Gp2 involves prevention of RNAP-promoter DNA interactions required for stable DNA strand separation and maintenance of the "transcription bubble" near the transcription start site, an obligatory step in the formation of a transcriptionally competent promoter complex.
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27
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Roucourt B, Lavigne R. The role of interactions between phage and bacterial proteins within the infected cell: a diverse and puzzling interactome. Environ Microbiol 2009; 11:2789-805. [PMID: 19691505 DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2009.02029.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Interactions between bacteriophage proteins and bacterial proteins are important for efficient infection of the host cell. The phage proteins involved in these bacteriophage-host interactions are often produced immediately after infection. A survey of the available set of published bacteriophage-host interactions reveals the targeted host proteins are inhibited, activated or functionally redirected by the phage protein. These interactions protect the bacteriophage from bacterial defence mechanisms or adapt the host-cell metabolism to establish an efficient infection cycle. Regrettably, a large majority of bacteriophage early proteins lack any identified function. Recent research into the antibacterial potential of bacteriophage-host interactions indicates that phage early proteins seem to target a wide variety of processes in the host cell - many of them non-essential. Since a clear understanding of such interactions may become important for regulations involving phage therapy and in biotechnological applications, increased scientific emphasis on the biological elucidation of such proteins is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bart Roucourt
- Division of Gene Technology, Department of Biosystems, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 21 box 2462, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium
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28
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Characterization of a T7-like lytic bacteriophage (phiSG-JL2) of Salmonella enterica serovar gallinarum biovar gallinarum. Appl Environ Microbiol 2008; 74:6970-9. [PMID: 18820072 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01088-08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
PhiSG-JL2 is a newly discovered lytic bacteriophage infecting Salmonella enterica serovar Gallinarum biovar Gallinarum but is nonlytic to a rough vaccine strain of serovar Gallinarum biovar Gallinarum (SG-9R), S. enterica serovar Enteritidis, S. enterica serovar Typhimurium, and S. enterica serovar Gallinarum biovar Pullorum. The phiSG-JL2 genome is 38,815 bp in length (GC content, 50.9%; 230-bp-long direct terminal repeats), and 55 putative genes may be transcribed from the same strand. Functions were assigned to 30 genes based on high amino acid similarity to known proteins. Most of the expected proteins except tail fiber (31.9%) and the overall organization of the genomes were similar to those of yersiniophage phiYeO3-12. phiSG-JL2 could be classified as a new T7-like virus and represents the first serovar Gallinarum biovar Gallinarum phage genome to be sequenced. On the basis of intraspecific ratios of nonsynonymous to synonymous nucleotide changes (Pi[a]/Pi[s]), gene 2 encoding the host RNA polymerase inhibitor displayed Darwinian positive selection. Pretreatment of chickens with phiSG-JL2 before intratracheal challenge with wild-type serovar Gallinarum biovar Gallinarum protected most birds from fowl typhoid. Therefore, phiSG-JL2 may be useful for the differentiation of serovar Gallinarum biovar Gallinarum from other Salmonella serotypes, prophylactic application in fowl typhoid control, and understanding of the vertical evolution of T7-like viruses.
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Kolot M, Gorovits R, Silberstein N, Fichtman B, Yagil E. Phosphorylation of the integrase protein of coliphage HK022. Virology 2008; 375:383-90. [DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2008.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2007] [Revised: 02/07/2008] [Accepted: 02/13/2008] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Qimron U, Kulczyk AW, Hamdan SM, Tabor S, Richardson CC. Inadequate inhibition of host RNA polymerase restricts T7 bacteriophage growth on hosts overexpressing udk. Mol Microbiol 2007; 67:448-57. [PMID: 18067538 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2007.06058.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Overexpression of udk, an Escherichia coli gene encoding a uridine/cytidine kinase, interferes with T7 bacteriophage growth. We show here that inhibition of T7 phage growth by udk overexpression can be overcome by inhibition of host RNA polymerase. Overexpression of gene 2, whose product inhibits host RNA polymerase, restores T7 phage growth on hosts overexpressing udk. In addition, rifampicin, an inhibitor of host RNA polymerase, restores the burst size of T7 phage on udk-overexpressing hosts to normal. In agreement with these findings, suppressor mutants that overcome the inhibition arising from udk overexpression gain the ability to grow on hosts that are resistant to inhibition of RNA polymerase by gene 2 protein, and suppressor mutants that overcome a lack of gene 2 protein gain the ability to grow on hosts that overexpress udk. Mutations that eliminate or weaken strong promoters for host RNA polymerase in T7 DNA, and mutations in T7 gene 3.5 that affect its interaction with T7 RNA polymerase, also reduce the interference with T7 growth by host RNA polymerase. We propose a general model for the requirement of host RNA polymerase inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Udi Qimron
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Qimron U, Marintcheva B, Tabor S, Richardson CC. Genomewide screens for Escherichia coli genes affecting growth of T7 bacteriophage. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2006; 103:19039-44. [PMID: 17135349 PMCID: PMC1748173 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0609428103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2006] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Use of bacteriophages as a therapy for bacterial infection has been attempted over the last century. Such an endeavor requires the elucidation of basic aspects of the host-virus interactions and the resistance mechanisms of the host. Two recently developed bacterial collections now enable a genomewide search of the genetic interactions between Escherichia coli and bacteriophages. We have screened >85% of the E. coli genes for their ability to inhibit growth of T7 phage and >90% of the host genes for their ability to be used by the virus. In addition to identifying all of the known interactions, several other interactions have been identified. E. coli CMP kinase is essential for T7 growth, whereas overexpression of the E. coli uridine/cytidine kinase inhibits T7 growth. Mutations in any one of nine genes that encode enzymes for the synthesis of the E. coli lipopolysaccharide receptor for T7 adsorption leads to T7 resistance. Selection of T7 phage that can recognize these altered receptors has enabled the construction of phage to which the host is 100-fold less resistant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Udi Qimron
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Boriana Marintcheva
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Stanley Tabor
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Charles C. Richardson
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
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