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Willner DL, Paudel S, Halleran AD, Solini GE, Gray V, Saha MS. Transcriptional dynamics during Rhodococcus erythropolis infection with phage WC1. BMC Microbiol 2024; 24:107. [PMID: 38561651 PMCID: PMC10986025 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-024-03241-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Belonging to the Actinobacteria phylum, members of the Rhodococcus genus thrive in soil, water, and even intracellularly. While most species are non-pathogenic, several cause respiratory disease in animals and, more rarely, in humans. Over 100 phages that infect Rhodococcus species have been isolated but despite their importance for Rhodococcus ecology and biotechnology applications, little is known regarding the molecular genetic interactions between phage and host during infection. To address this need, we report RNA-Seq analysis of a novel Rhodococcus erythopolis phage, WC1, analyzing both the phage and host transcriptome at various stages throughout the infection process. RESULTS By five minutes post-infection WC1 showed upregulation of a CAS-4 family exonuclease, putative immunity repressor, an anti-restriction protein, while the host showed strong upregulation of DNA replication, SOS repair, and ribosomal protein genes. By 30 min post-infection, WC1 DNA synthesis genes were strongly upregulated while the host showed increased expression of transcriptional and translational machinery and downregulation of genes involved in carbon, energy, and lipid metabolism pathways. By 60 min WC1 strongly upregulated structural genes while the host showed a dramatic disruption of metal ion homeostasis. There was significant expression of both host and phage non-coding genes at all time points. While host gene expression declined over the course of infection, our results indicate that phage may exert more selective control, preserving the host's regulatory mechanisms to create an environment conducive for virion production. CONCLUSIONS The Rhodococcus genus is well recognized for its ability to synthesize valuable compounds, particularly steroids, as well as its capacity to degrade a wide range of harmful environmental pollutants. A detailed understanding of these phage-host interactions and gene expression is not only essential for understanding the ecology of this important genus, but will also facilitate development of phage-mediated strategies for bioremediation as well as biocontrol in industrial processes and biomedical applications. Given the current lack of detailed global gene expression studies on any Rhodococcus species, our study addresses a pressing need to identify tools and genes, such as F6 and rpf, that can enhance the capacity of Rhodococcus species for bioremediation, biosynthesis and pathogen control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana L Willner
- Data Science Program, William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, USA
| | - Sudip Paudel
- Department of Biology, William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, USA
- Wyss Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Andrew D Halleran
- Department of Biology, William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, USA
- Atalaya Capital Management, New York, NY, USA
| | - Grace E Solini
- Department of Biology, William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, USA
- California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Veronica Gray
- Department of Biology, William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, USA
- Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Margaret S Saha
- Department of Biology, William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, USA.
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Jia K, Peng Y, Chen X, Jian H, Jin M, Yi Z, Su M, Dong X, Yi M. A Novel Inovirus Reprograms Metabolism and Motility of Marine Alteromonas. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0338822. [PMID: 36301121 PMCID: PMC9769780 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03388-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Members from the Inoviridae family with striking features are widespread, highly diverse, and ecologically pervasive across multiple hosts and environments. However, a small number of inoviruses have been isolated and studied. Here, a filamentous phage infecting Alteromonas abrolhosensis, designated ϕAFP1, was isolated from the South China Sea and represented a novel genus of Inoviridae. ϕAFP1 consisted of a single-stranded DNA genome (5986 bp), encoding eight putative ORFs. Comparative analyses revealed ϕAFP1 could be regarded as genetic mosaics having homologous sequences with Ralstonia and Stenotrophomonas phages. The temporal transcriptome analysis of A. abrolhosensis to ϕAFP1 infection revealed that 7.78% of the host genes were differentially expressed. The genes involved in translation processes, ribosome pathways, and degradation of multiple amino acid pathways at the plateau period were upregulated, while host material catabolic and bacterial motility-related genes were downregulated, indicating that ϕAFP1 might hijack the energy of the host for the synthesis of phage proteins. ϕAFP1 exerted step-by-step control on host genes through the appropriate level of utilizing host resources. Our study provided novel information for a better understanding of filamentous phage characteristics and phage-host interactions. IMPORTANCE Alteromonas is widely distributed and plays a vital role in biogeochemical in marine environments. However, little information about Alteromonas phages is available. Here, we isolated and characterized the biological characteristics and genome sequence of a novel inovirus infecting Alteromonas abrolhosensis, designated ϕAFP1, representing a novel viral genus of Inoviridae. We then presented a comprehensive view of the ϕAFP1 phage-Alteromonas abrolhosensis interactions, elucidating reprogramed host metabolism and motility. Our study provided novel information for better comprehension of filamentous phage characteristics and phage-host interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuntong Jia
- School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
| | - Yongyi Peng
- School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
| | - Xueji Chen
- School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
| | - Huahua Jian
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Development Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Min Jin
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Zhiwei Yi
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Ming Su
- School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiyang Dong
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, Fujian, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
| | - Meisheng Yi
- School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
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A Review on Mycobacteriophages: From Classification to Applications. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11070777. [PMID: 35890022 PMCID: PMC9317374 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11070777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Mycobacterial infections are a group of life-threatening conditions triggered by fast- or slow-growing mycobacteria. Some mycobacteria, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, promote the deaths of millions of lives throughout the world annually. The control of mycobacterial infections is influenced by the challenges faced in the diagnosis of these bacteria and the capability of these pathogens to develop resistance against common antibiotics. Detection of mycobacterial infections is always demanding due to the intracellular nature of these pathogens that, along with the lipid-enriched structure of the cell wall, complicates the access to the internal contents of mycobacterial cells. Moreover, recent studies depicted that more than 20% of M. tuberculosis (Mtb) infections are multi-drug resistant (MDR), and only 50% of positive MDR-Mtb cases are responsive to standard treatments. Similarly, the susceptibility of nontuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM) to first-line tuberculosis antibiotics has also declined in recent years. Exploiting mycobacteriophages as viruses that infect mycobacteria has significantly accelerated the diagnosis and treatment of mycobacterial infections. This is because mycobacteriophages, regardless of their cycle type (temperate/lytic), can tackle barriers in the mycobacterial cell wall and make the infected bacteria replicate phage DNA along with their DNA. Although the infectivity of the majority of discovered mycobacteriophages has been evaluated in non-pathogenic M. smegmatis, more research is still ongoing to find mycobacteriophages specific to pathogenic mycobacteria, such as phage DS6A, which has been shown to be able to infect members of the M. tuberculosis complex. Accordingly, this review aimed to introduce some potential mycobacteriophages in the research, specifically those that are infective to the three troublesome mycobacteria, M. tuberculosis, M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), and M. abscessus, highlighting their theranostic applications in medicine.
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Isolation and Characterization of the Novel Phage JD032 and Global Transcriptomic Response during JD032 Infection of Clostridioides difficile Ribotype 078. mSystems 2020; 5:5/3/e00017-20. [PMID: 32371470 PMCID: PMC7205517 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00017-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
C. difficile is one of the most clinically significant intestinal pathogens. Although phages have been shown to effectively control C. difficile infection, the host responses to phage predation have not been fully studied. In this study, we reported the isolation and characterization of a new phage, JD032, and analyzed the global transcriptomic changes in the hypervirulent RT078 C. difficile strain, TW11, during phage JD032 infection. We found that bacterial host mRNA was progressively replaced with phage transcripts, three temporal categories of JD032 gene expression, the extensive interplay between phage-bacterium, antiphage-like responses of the host and phage evasion, and decreased expression of sporulation- and virulence-related genes of the host after phage infection. These findings confirmed the complexity of interactions between C. difficile and phages and suggest that phages undergoing a lytic cycle may also cause different phenotypes in hosts, similar to prophages, which may inspire phage therapy for the control of C. difficile. Insights into the interaction between phages and their bacterial hosts are crucial for the development of phage therapy. However, only one study has investigated global gene expression of Clostridioides (formerly Clostridium) difficile carrying prophage, and transcriptional reprogramming during lytic infection has not been studied. Here, we presented the isolation, propagation, and characterization of a newly discovered 35,109-bp phage, JD032, and investigated the global transcriptomes of both JD032 and C. difficile ribotype 078 (RT078) strain TW11 during JD032 infection. Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) revealed the progressive replacement of bacterial host mRNA with phage transcripts. The expressed genes of JD032 were clustered into early, middle, and late temporal categories that were functionally similar. Specifically, a gene (JD032_orf016) involved in the lysis-lysogeny decision was identified as an early expression gene. Only 17.7% (668/3,781) of the host genes were differentially expressed, and more genes were downregulated than upregulated. The expression of genes involved in host macromolecular synthesis (DNA/RNA/proteins) was altered by JD032 at the level of transcription. In particular, the expression of the ropA operon was downregulated. Most noteworthy is that the gene expression of some antiphage systems, including CRISPR-Cas, restriction-modification, and toxin-antitoxin systems, was suppressed by JD032 during infection. In addition, bacterial sporulation, adhesion, and virulence factor genes were significantly downregulated. This study provides the first description of the interaction between anaerobic spore-forming bacteria and phages during lytic infection and highlights new aspects of C. difficile phage-host interactions. IMPORTANCEC. difficile is one of the most clinically significant intestinal pathogens. Although phages have been shown to effectively control C. difficile infection, the host responses to phage predation have not been fully studied. In this study, we reported the isolation and characterization of a new phage, JD032, and analyzed the global transcriptomic changes in the hypervirulent RT078 C. difficile strain, TW11, during phage JD032 infection. We found that bacterial host mRNA was progressively replaced with phage transcripts, three temporal categories of JD032 gene expression, the extensive interplay between phage-bacterium, antiphage-like responses of the host and phage evasion, and decreased expression of sporulation- and virulence-related genes of the host after phage infection. These findings confirmed the complexity of interactions between C. difficile and phages and suggest that phages undergoing a lytic cycle may also cause different phenotypes in hosts, similar to prophages, which may inspire phage therapy for the control of C. difficile.
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Bacteriophage gene products as potential antimicrobials against tuberculosis. Biochem Soc Trans 2019; 47:847-860. [PMID: 31085613 DOI: 10.1042/bst20180506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2018] [Revised: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is recognised as one of the most pressing global health threats among infectious diseases. Bacteriophages are adapted for killing of their host, and they were exploited in antibacterial therapy already before the discovery of antibiotics. Antibiotics as broadly active drugs overshadowed phage therapy for a long time. However, owing to the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance and the increasing complexity of treatment of drug-resistant TB, mycobacteriophages are being studied for their antimicrobial potential. Besides phage therapy, which is the administration of live phages to infected patients, the development of drugs of phage origin is gaining interest. This path of medical research might provide us with a new pool of previously undiscovered inhibition mechanisms and molecular interactions which are also of interest in basic research of cellular processes, such as transcription. The current state of research on mycobacteriophage-derived anti-TB treatment is reviewed in comparison with inhibitors from other phages, and with focus on transcription as the host target process.
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Abstract
Mycobacteriophages are viruses that infect mycobacterial hosts. A large number of mycobacteriophages have been isolated and genomically characterized, providing insights into viral diversity and evolution, as well as fueling development of tools for mycobacterial genetics. Mycobacteriophages have intimate relationships with their hosts and provide insights into the genetics and physiology of the mycobacteria and tools for potential clinical applications such as drug development, diagnosis, vaccines, and potentially therapy.
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Dedrick RM, Mavrich TN, Ng WL, Hatfull GF. Expression and evolutionary patterns of mycobacteriophage D29 and its temperate close relatives. BMC Microbiol 2017; 17:225. [PMID: 29197343 PMCID: PMC5712189 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-017-1131-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2017] [Accepted: 11/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Mycobacteriophages are viruses that infect Mycobacterium hosts. A large collection of phages known to infect the same bacterial host strain – Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2155 – exhibit substantial diversity and characteristically mosaic architectures. The well-studied lytic mycobacteriophage D29 appears to be a deletion derivative of a putative temperate parent, although its parent has yet to be identified. Results Here we describe three newly-isolated temperate phages – Kerberos, Pomar16 and StarStuff – that are related to D29, and are predicted to be very close relatives of its putative temperate parent, revealing the repressor and additional genes that are lost in D29. Transcriptional profiles show the patterns of both lysogenic and lytic gene expression and identify highly-expressed, abundant, stable, small non-coding transcripts made from the Pleft early lytic promoter, and which are toxic to M. smegmatis. Conclusions Comparative genomics of phages D29, Kerberos, Pomar16 and StarStuff provide insights into bacteriophage evolution, and comparative transcriptomics identifies the pattern of lysogenic and lytic expression with unusual features including highly expressed, small, non-coding RNAs. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12866-017-1131-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebekah M Dedrick
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Travis N Mavrich
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Wei L Ng
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Graham F Hatfull
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA.
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