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Xu Q, Tang L, Liu W, Xu N, Hu Y, Zhang Y, Chen S. Phage protein Gp11 blocks Staphylococcus aureus cell division by inhibiting peptidoglycan biosynthesis. mBio 2024; 15:e0067924. [PMID: 38752726 PMCID: PMC11237401 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00679-24] [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: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Phages and bacteria have a long history of co-evolution. However, these dynamics of phage-host interactions are still largely unknown; identification of phage inhibitors that remodel host metabolism will provide valuable information for target development for antimicrobials. Here, we perform a comprehensive screen for early-gene products of ΦNM1 that inhibit cell growth in Staphylococcus aureus. A small membrane protein, Gp11, with inhibitory effects on S. aureus cell division was identified. A bacterial two-hybrid library containing 345 essential S. aureus genes was constructed to screen for targets of Gp11, and Gp11 was found to interact with MurG and DivIC. Defects in cell growth and division caused by Gp11 were dependent on MurG and DivIC, which was further confirmed using CRISPRi hypersensitivity assay. Gp11 interacts with MurG, the protein essential for cell wall formation, by inhibiting the production of lipid II to regulate peptidoglycan (PG) biosynthesis on the cell membrane. Gp11 also interacts with cell division protein DivIC, an essential part of the division machinery necessary for septal cell wall assembly, to disrupt the recruitment of division protein FtsW. Mutations in Gp11 result in loss of its ability to cause growth defects, whereas infection with phage in which the gp11 gene has been deleted showed a significant increase in lipid II production in S. aureus. Together, our findings reveal that a phage early-gene product interacts with essential host proteins to disrupt PG biosynthesis and block S. aureus cell division, suggesting a potential pathway for the development of therapeutic approaches to treat pathogenic bacterial infections. IMPORTANCE Understanding the interplay between phages and their hosts is important for the development of novel therapies against pathogenic bacteria. Although phages have been used to control methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections, our knowledge related to the processes in the early stages of phage infection is still limited. Owing to the fact that most of the phage early proteins have been classified as hypothetical proteins with uncertain functions, we screened phage early-gene products that inhibit cell growth in S. aureus, and one protein, Gp11, selectively targets essential host genes to block the synthesis of the peptidoglycan component lipid II, ultimately leading to cell growth arrest in S. aureus. Our study provides a novel insight into the strategy by which Gp11 blocks essential host cellular metabolism to influence phage-host interaction. Importantly, dissecting the interactions between phages and host cells will contribute to the development of new and effective therapies to treat bacterial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Xu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Li Tang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Weilin Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Neng Xu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Yangbo Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Yong Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Shiyun Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
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The two faces of pyocyanin - why and how to steer its production? World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2023; 39:103. [PMID: 36864230 PMCID: PMC9981528 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-023-03548-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
The ambiguous nature of pyocyanin was noted quite early after its discovery. This substance is a recognized Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence factor that causes problems in cystic fibrosis, wound healing, and microbiologically induced corrosion. However, it can also be a potent chemical with potential use in a wide variety of technologies and applications, e.g. green energy production in microbial fuel cells, biocontrol in agriculture, therapy in medicine, or environmental protection. In this mini-review, we shortly describe the properties of pyocyanin, its role in the physiology of Pseudomonas and show the ever-growing interest in it. We also summarize the possible ways of modulating pyocyanin production. We underline different approaches of the researchers that aim either at lowering or increasing pyocyanin production by using different culturing methods, chemical additives, physical factors (e.g. electromagnetic field), or genetic engineering techniques. The review aims to present the ambiguous character of pyocyanin, underline its potential, and signalize the possible further research directions.
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Brandão A, Pires DP, Coppens L, Voet M, Lavigne R, Azeredo J. Differential transcription profiling of the phage LUZ19 infection process in different growth media. RNA Biol 2021; 18:1778-1790. [PMID: 33448239 PMCID: PMC8583145 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2020.1870844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA sequencing of phage-infected bacterial cultures offers a snapshot of transcriptional events occurring during the infection process, providing insights into the phage transcriptional organization as well as the bacterial response. To better mimic real environmental contexts, we performed RNA-seq of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 cultures infected with phage LUZ19 in a mammalian cell culture medium to better simulate a phage therapy event and the data were compared to lysogeny broth medium. Regardless of the media, phage LUZ19 induces significant transcriptional changes in the bacterial host over time, particularly during early infection (t = 5 min) and gradually shuts down bacterial transcription. In a common response in both media, 56 P. aeruginosa PAO1 genes are differentially transcribed and clustered into several functional categories such as metabolism, translation and transcription. Our data allowed us to tease apart a medium-specific response during infection from the identified infection-associated responses. This reinforces the concept that phages overtake bacterial transcriptome in a strict manner to gain control of the bacterial machinery and reallocate resources for infection, in this case overcoming the nutritional limitations of the mammalian cell culture medium. From a phage therapy perspective, this study contributes towards a better understanding of phage-host interaction in human physiological conditions and demonstrates the versatility of phage LUZ19 to adapt to different environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Brandão
- Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- Laboratory of Gene Technology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Diana P. Pires
- Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Lucas Coppens
- Laboratory of Gene Technology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Marleen Voet
- Laboratory of Gene Technology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Rob Lavigne
- Laboratory of Gene Technology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Joana Azeredo
- Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
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Schroven K, Aertsen A, Lavigne R. Bacteriophages as drivers of bacterial virulence and their potential for biotechnological exploitation. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2021; 45:5902850. [PMID: 32897318 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuaa041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria-infecting viruses (phages) and their hosts maintain an ancient and complex relationship. Bacterial predation by lytic phages drives an ongoing phage-host arms race, whereas temperate phages initiate mutualistic relationships with their hosts upon lysogenization as prophages. In human pathogens, these prophages impact bacterial virulence in distinct ways: by secretion of phage-encoded toxins, modulation of the bacterial envelope, mediation of bacterial infectivity and the control of bacterial cell regulation. This review builds the argument that virulence-influencing prophages hold extensive, unexplored potential for biotechnology. More specifically, it highlights the development potential of novel therapies against infectious diseases, to address the current antibiotic resistance crisis. First, designer bacteriophages may serve to deliver genes encoding cargo proteins which repress bacterial virulence. Secondly, one may develop small molecules mimicking phage-derived proteins targeting central regulators of bacterial virulence. Thirdly, bacteria equipped with phage-derived synthetic circuits which modulate key virulence factors could serve as vaccine candidates to prevent bacterial infections. The development and exploitation of such antibacterial strategies will depend on the discovery of other prophage-derived, virulence control mechanisms and, more generally, on the dissection of the mutualistic relationship between temperate phages and bacteria, as well as on continuing developments in the synthetic biology field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaat Schroven
- Laboratory of Gene Technology, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 21, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Abram Aertsen
- Laboratory of Food Microbiology, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 23, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Rob Lavigne
- Laboratory of Gene Technology, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 21, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
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Zhong Q, Yang L, Li L, Shen W, Li Y, Xu H, Zhong Z, Chen M, Le S. Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals the Dependency of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Genes for Double-Stranded RNA Bacteriophage phiYY Infection Cycle. iScience 2020; 23:101437. [PMID: 32827855 PMCID: PMC7452160 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Revised: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteriophage phiYY is currently the only double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) phage that infects Pseudomonas aeruginosa and is a potential candidate for phage therapy. Here we applied RNA-seq to investigate the lytic cycle of phiYY infecting P. aeruginosa strain PAO1r. About 12.45% (651/5,229) of the host genes were determined to be differentially expressed genes. Moreover, oxidative stress response genes katB and ahpB are upregulated 64- to 128-fold after phage infection, and the single deletion of each gene blocked phiYY infection, indicating that phiYY is extremely sensitive to oxidative stress. On the contrary, another upregulated gene PA0800 might constrain phage infection, because the deletion of PA0800 resulted in a 3.5-fold increase of the efficiency of plating. Our study highlights a complicated dsRNA phage-phage global interaction and raises new questions toward the host defense mechanisms against dsRNA phage and dsRNA phage-encoded hijacking mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiu Zhong
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Lan Yang
- Shanghai Institute of Phage, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China
| | - Linlin Li
- Shanghai Institute of Phage, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China
| | - Wei Shen
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Army Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Yang Li
- Medical Center of Trauma and War Injury, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injuries, Army Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Huan Xu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Zhuojun Zhong
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Army Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Ming Chen
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
- State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injuries, Army Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Shuai Le
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Army Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
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Adeniji AA, Loots DT, Babalola OO. Bacillus velezensis: phylogeny, useful applications, and avenues for exploitation. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2019; 103:3669-3682. [PMID: 30911788 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-019-09710-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2018] [Revised: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Some members of the Bacillus velezensis (Bv) group (e.g., Bv FZB42T and AS3.43) were previously assigned grouping with B. subtilis and B. amyloliquefaciens, based on the fact that they shared a 99% DNA-DNA percentage phylogenetic similarity. However, hinging on current assessments of the pan-genomic reassignments, the differing phylogenomic characteristics of Bv from B. subtilis and B. amyloliquefaciens are now better understood. Within this re-grouping/reassignment, the various strains within the Bv share a close phylogenomic resemblance, and a number of these strains have received a lot of attention in recent years, due to their genomic robustness, and the growing evidence for their possible utilization in the agricultural industry for managing plant diseases. Only a few applications for their use medicinally/pharmaceutically, environmentally, and in the food industry have been reported, and this may be due to the fact that the majority of those strains investigated are those typically occurring in soil. Although the intracellular unique biomolecules of Bv strains have been revealed via in silico genome modeling and investigated using transcriptomics and proteomics, a further inquisition into the Bv metabolome using newer technologies such as metabolomics could elucidate additional applications of this economically relevant Bacillus species, beyond that of primarily the agricultural sector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adetomiwa Ayodele Adeniji
- Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Science, North-West University, Food Security and Safety, Private Bag X2046, Mmabatho, 2735, South Africa.,Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Science, North-West University, Human Metabolomics Private Bag X6001, Box 269, Potchefstroom, 2531, South Africa
| | - Du Toit Loots
- Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Science, North-West University, Human Metabolomics Private Bag X6001, Box 269, Potchefstroom, 2531, South Africa
| | - Olubukola Oluranti Babalola
- Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Science, North-West University, Food Security and Safety, Private Bag X2046, Mmabatho, 2735, South Africa.
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Yu X, Xu Y, Gu Y, Zhu Y, Liu X. Characterization and genomic study of "phiKMV-Like" phage PAXYB1 infecting Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Sci Rep 2017; 7:13068. [PMID: 29026171 PMCID: PMC5638911 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-13363-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2017] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteriophage PAXYB1 was recently isolated from wastewater samples. This phage was chosen based on its lytic properties against clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). In the present study, characterized PAXYB1, clarified its morphological and lytic properties, and analyzed its complete genome sequence. Based on the morphology of PAXYB1, it is a Podoviridae. The linear GC-rich (62.29%) double-stranded DNA genome of PAXYB1 is 43,337 bp including direct terminal repeats (DTRs) of 468 bp. It contains 60 open reading frames (ORFs) that are all encoded within the same strand. We also showed that PAXYB1 is a virulent phage and a new member of the phiKMV-like phages genus. Twenty-eight out of sixty predicted gene products (gps) showed significant homology to proteins of known function, which were confirmed by analyzing the structural proteome. Altogether, our work identified a novel lytic bacteriophage that lyses P. aeruginosa PAO1 and efficiently infects and kills several clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa. This phage has potential for development as a biological disinfectant to control P. aeruginosa infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyan Yu
- Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology of Jiangsu Province, Department of Microbiology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Yue Xu
- Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology of Jiangsu Province, Department of Microbiology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Yu Gu
- Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology of Jiangsu Province, Department of Microbiology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Yefei Zhu
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiaoqiu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology of Jiangsu Province, Department of Microbiology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China.
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Zhao X, Shen M, Jiang X, Shen W, Zhong Q, Yang Y, Tan Y, Agnello M, He X, Hu F, Le S. Transcriptomic and Metabolomics Profiling of Phage-Host Interactions between Phage PaP1 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:548. [PMID: 28421049 PMCID: PMC5377924 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2017] [Accepted: 03/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The basic biology of bacteriophage–host interactions has attracted increasing attention due to a renewed interest in the therapeutic potential of bacteriophages. In addition, knowledge of the host pathways inhibited by phage may provide clues to novel drug targets. However, the effect of phage on bacterial gene expression and metabolism is still poorly understood. In this study, we tracked phage–host interactions by combining transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses in Pseudomonas aeruginosa infected with a lytic bacteriophage, PaP1. Compared with the uninfected host, 7.1% (399/5655) of the genes of the phage-infected host were differentially expressed genes (DEGs); of those, 354 DEGs were downregulated at the late infection phase. Many of the downregulated DEGs were found in amino acid and energy metabolism pathways. Using metabolomics approach, we then analyzed the changes in metabolite levels in the PaP1-infected host compared to un-infected controls. Thymidine was significantly increased in the host after PaP1 infection, results that were further supported by increased expression of a PaP1-encoded thymidylate synthase gene. Furthermore, the intracellular betaine concentration was drastically reduced, whereas choline increased, presumably due to downregulation of the choline–glycine betaine pathway. Interestingly, the choline–glycine betaine pathway is a potential antimicrobial target; previous studies have shown that betB inhibition results in the depletion of betaine and the accumulation of betaine aldehyde, the combination of which is toxic to P. aeruginosa. These results present a detailed description of an example of phage-directed metabolism in P. aeruginosa. Both phage-encoded auxiliary metabolic genes and phage-directed host gene expression may contribute to the metabolic changes observed in the host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Zhao
- Department of Microbiology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.,Department of Bioinformatics, Third Military Medical UniversityChongqing, China
| | - Mengyu Shen
- Department of Microbiology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xingyu Jiang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical UniversityChongqing, China
| | - Wei Shen
- Department of Microbiology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Qiu Zhong
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical UniversityChongqing, China
| | - Yuhui Yang
- Department of Microbiology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yinling Tan
- Department of Microbiology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Melissa Agnello
- School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los AngelesCA, USA
| | - Xuesong He
- School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los AngelesCA, USA
| | - Fuquan Hu
- Department of Microbiology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Shuai Le
- Department of Microbiology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
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