Effect of rifampin on the growth of bacteriophage T5

A combination therapy of Phages and Antibiotics: Two is better than one

Emergence of antibiotic resistance presents a major setback to global health, and shortage of antibiotic pipelines has created an urgent need for development of alternative therapeutic strategies. Bacteriophage (phage) therapy is considered as a potential approach for treatment of the increasing number of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Phage-antibiotic synergy (PAS) refers to sublethal concentrations of certain antibiotics that enhance release of progeny phages from bacterial cells. A combination of phages and antibiotics is a promising strategy to reduce the dose of antibiotics and the development of antibiotic resistance during treatment. In this review, we highlight the state-of-the-art advancements of PAS studies, including the analysis of bacterial-killing enhancement, bacterial resistance reduction, and anti-biofilm effect, at both in vitro and in vivo levels. A comprehensive review of the genetic and molecular mechanisms of phage antibiotic synergy is provided, and synthetic biology approaches used to engineer phages, and design novel therapies and diagnostic tools are discussed. In addition, the role of engineered phages in reducing pathogenicity of bacteria is explored.

Phage-Antibiotic Combination Treatments: Antagonistic Impacts of Antibiotics on the Pharmacodynamics of Phage Therapy?

Bacteria can evolve resistance to antibiotics. Even without changing genetically, bacteria also can display tolerance to antibiotic treatments. Many antibiotics are also broadly acting, as can result in excessive modifications of body microbiomes. Particularly for antibiotics of last resort or in treating extremely ill patients, antibiotics furthermore can display excessive toxicities. Antibiotics nevertheless remain the standard of care for bacterial infections, and rightly so given their long track records of both antibacterial efficacy and infrequency of severe side effects. Antibiotics do not successfully cure all treated bacterial infections, however, thereby providing a utility to alternative antibacterial approaches. One such approach is the use of bacteriophages, the viruses of bacteria. This nearly 100-year-old bactericidal, anti-infection technology can be effective against antibiotic-resistant or -tolerant bacteria, including bacterial biofilms and persister cells. Ideally phages could be used in combination with standard antibiotics while retaining their anti-bacterial pharmacodynamic activity, this despite antibiotics interfering with aspects of bacterial metabolism that are also required for full phage infection activity. Here I examine the literature of pre-clinical phage-antibiotic combination treatments, with emphasis on antibiotic-susceptible bacterial targets. I review evidence of antibiotic interference with phage infection activity along with its converse: phage antibacterial functioning despite antibiotic presence.

Regulation of the temporal synthesis of proteins in bacteriophage BF23-infected cells

Regulation of temporal synthesis of pre-early, early, and late proteins in bacteriophage BF23-infected cells has been studied by using five amber mutants defective in genes 1, 2, 10, 14, and 19. The synthesis of pre-early proteins is negatively regulated by the actions of gene 1, a pre-early gene. The switch from pre-early to early protein synthesis is mainly regulated by the second-step DNA transfer reaction, which is controlled by at least genes 1 and 2. Early proteins can be kinetically and genetically divided into two regulatory classes, designated Ea and Eb. The shutoff of Eb-early protein synthesis is associated with the turn-on of late protein synthesis. This step is controlled by genes 10, 14, and 19. Gene 10 also regulates negatively the synthesis of Ea-early proteins, indicating that this gene has a dual function in the regulation of early protein synthesis. The temporal synthesis of phage-encoded proteins is regulated mainly at the transcriptional level. Evidence is presented indicating that the host RNA polymerase is modified by the interaction with the gene products of genes 2, 10, and 14 (gp2, gp10, and gp14, respectively). gp2 interacts with the enzyme in the earlier stage of infection but is replaced by gp10 in the later stage. This exchange reaction depends on the presence of gp14 and gp19 and is related to the switch from Eb to late protein synthesis. Thus, the regulation of BF23 gene expression occurs in a coordinated manner throughout the development of this phage.

Transcription regulatory elements in the late region of bacteriophage T5 DNA

Transcription promoters and terminators have been cloned from the late region of bacteriophage T5 DNA and their strengths determined in vivo in plasmid derivatives. DNA sequence analysis shows these transcription signals to be remarkable in that, in all four cases studied in detail, the promoters and terminators overlapped or were very close together.

The regulation of transcription in bacteriophage T5-infected Escherichia coli

The expression of bacteriophage T5-specific RNA and protein in infected cells is temporally separated into three classes: class I (preearly), class II (early), and class III (late). By immunoprecipitation techniques we have shown that T5 infection of cells leads to the synthesis of one class I polypeptide (11,000 daltons) and two class II polypeptides (90,000 and 15,000 daltons) capable of binding to the RNA polymerase of the host Escherichia coli cell. One of the class II polypeptides (90,000 daltons) is the product of gene C2, which is an essential gene product required for the initiation of class III RNA synthesis. The colicinogenic factor, ColIb, is a plasmid which prevents the normal synthesis of class II and the III bacteriophage T5-specific RNA in infected colicinogenic (ColIb+) cells. In T5-infected colicinogenic cells, only the T5 class I polypeptide is found associated with the RNA polymerase. Mutants of T5, designated T5h minus, are capable of growth on both noncolicinogenic and ColIb+ hosts. Extracts of T5h minus infected ColIb+ cells were shown to lack a small class I polypeptide (12,000 daltons) as compared to T5-infected cells. The h minus mutation, however, has no effect on the levels of the class I T5 polypeptide of similar molecular weight which is bound to the RNA polymerase. One effect of the h minus mutation is to enhance the quantities of the two class II polypeptides bound to the enzyme.

In vivo repair of the single-strand interruptions contained in bacteriophage T5 DNA

Bacteriophage T5 is known to contain several unique single-strand interruptions in only one strand of the duplex DNA. Analysis of labeled parental phage DNA from infected Escherichia coli shows that these nicks are repaired in vivo to yield intact double-stranded molecules. Sealing begins at about 6 min after infection and is independent of DNA replication. Repair may be an ordered process that starts at a unique end of the molecule.

Regulation of expression of late genes of bacteriophage T5

Amber mutants of bacteriophage T5 defective in gene C2 have been characterized. The product of this gene is required for the normal turn-on of synthesis of late RNA's and proteins, and, apparently, for the normal continued synthesis of early RNA's and proteins during late stages of infection. The inability of nonpermissive cells to synthesize any proteins, either late or early, during the late period after infection with a C2-mutant is not due to premature lysis of the infected cells, to a depletion of the cellular energy supply, or to degradation of phage DNA at late times. A possible role for the product of gene C2 in early and late transcription of the viral genome is suggested.