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Silva MD, Pinto G, França A, Azeredo J, Melo LDR. Phage SEP1 hijacks Staphylococcus epidermidis stationary cells' metabolism to replicate. mSystems 2024; 9:e0026324. [PMID: 38904376 PMCID: PMC11265418 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00263-24] [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: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
In nature, bacteria often survive in a stationary state with low metabolic activity. Phages use the metabolic machinery of the host cell to replicate, and, therefore, their efficacy against non-dividing cells is usually limited. Nevertheless, it was previously shown that the Staphylococcus epidermidis phage SEP1 has the remarkable capacity to actively replicate in stationary-phase cells, reducing their numbers. Here, we studied for the first time the transcriptomic profiles of both exponential and stationary cells infected with SEP1 phage using RNA-seq to gain a better understanding of this rare phenomenon. We showed that SEP1 successfully takes over the transcriptional apparatus of both exponential and stationary cells. Infection was, however, delayed in stationary cells, with genes within the gp142-gp154 module putatively implicated in host takeover. S. epidermidis responded to SEP1 infection by upregulating three genes involved in a DNA modification system, with this being observed already 5 min after infection in exponential cells and later in stationary cells. In stationary cells, a significant number of genes involved in translation and RNA metabolic and biosynthetic processes were upregulated after 15 and 30 min of SEP1 infection in comparison with the uninfected control, showing that SEP1 activates metabolic and biosynthetic pathways necessary to its successful replication.IMPORTANCEMost phage-host interaction studies are performed with exponentially growing cells. However, this cell state is not representative of what happens in natural environments. Additionally, most phages fail to replicate in stationary cells. The Staphylococcus epidermidis phage SEP1 is one of the few phages reported to date to be able to infect stationary cells. Here, we unveiled the interaction of SEP1 with its host in both exponential and stationary states of growth at the transcriptomic level. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for a better implementation of phage therapy since phages able to infect stationary cells could be more efficient in the treatment of recalcitrant infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Daniela Silva
- CEB-Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- LABBELS–Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Graça Pinto
- CEB-Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- LABBELS–Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Angela França
- CEB-Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- LABBELS–Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Joana Azeredo
- CEB-Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- LABBELS–Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Luís D. R. Melo
- CEB-Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- LABBELS–Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
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Kornienko M, Bespiatykh D, Gorodnichev R, Abdraimova N, Shitikov E. Transcriptional Landscapes of Herelleviridae Bacteriophages and Staphylococcus aureus during Phage Infection: An Overview. Viruses 2023; 15:1427. [PMID: 37515114 PMCID: PMC10383478 DOI: 10.3390/v15071427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The issue of antibiotic resistance in healthcare worldwide has led to a pressing need to explore and develop alternative approaches to combat infectious diseases. Among these methods, phage therapy has emerged as a potential solution to tackle this growing challenge. Virulent phages of the Herelleviridae family, known for their ability to cause lysis of Staphylococcus aureus, a clinically significant pathogen frequently associated with multidrug resistance, have proven to be one of the most effective viruses utilized in phage therapy. In order to utilize phages for therapeutic purposes effectively, a thorough investigation into their physiology and mechanisms of action on infected cells is essential. The use of omics technologies, particularly total RNA sequencing, is a promising approach for analyzing the interaction between phages and their hosts, allowing for the assessment of both the behavior of the phage during infection and the cell's response. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the physiology of the Herelleviridae family, utilizing existing analyses of their total phage transcriptomes. Additionally, it sheds light on the changes that occur in the metabolism of S. aureus when infected with virulent bacteriophages, contributing to a deeper understanding of the phage-host interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Kornienko
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency Medicine, Moscow 119435, Russia
| | - Dmitry Bespiatykh
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency Medicine, Moscow 119435, Russia
| | - Roman Gorodnichev
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency Medicine, Moscow 119435, Russia
| | - Narina Abdraimova
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency Medicine, Moscow 119435, Russia
| | - Egor Shitikov
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency Medicine, Moscow 119435, Russia
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Bird JT, Margulieux KR, Burke KA, Mzhavia N, Kevorkian RT, Ellison DW, Nikolich MP, Filippov AA. Genome Sequence of Staphylococcus aureus Phage ESa2. Microbiol Resour Announc 2023:e0019223. [PMID: 37338419 DOI: 10.1128/mra.00192-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023] Open
Abstract
We describe the genome of a lytic phage, ESa2, isolated from environmental water and specific for Staphylococcus aureus. ESa2 belongs to the family Herelleviridae and genus Kayvirus. Its genome consists of 141,828 bp, with 30.25% GC content, 253 predicted protein-coding sequences, 3 tRNAs, and 10,130-bp-long terminal repeats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan T Bird
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
| | - Katie R Margulieux
- Wound Infections Department, Bacterial Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Kevin A Burke
- Wound Infections Department, Bacterial Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Nino Mzhavia
- Wound Infections Department, Bacterial Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Richard T Kevorkian
- Wound Infections Department, Bacterial Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Damon W Ellison
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Mikeljon P Nikolich
- Wound Infections Department, Bacterial Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Andrey A Filippov
- Wound Infections Department, Bacterial Diseases Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
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Staphylococcus aureus Prophage-Encoded Protein Causes Abortive Infection and Provides Population Immunity against Kayviruses. mBio 2023; 14:e0249022. [PMID: 36779718 PMCID: PMC10127798 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02490-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Both temperate and obligately lytic phages have crucial roles in the biology of staphylococci. While superinfection exclusion among closely related temperate phages is a well-characterized phenomenon, the interactions between temperate and lytic phages in staphylococci are not understood. Here, we present a resistance mechanism toward lytic phages of the genus Kayvirus, mediated by the membrane-anchored protein designated PdpSau encoded by Staphylococcus aureus prophages, mostly of the Sa2 integrase type. The prophage accessory gene pdpSau is strongly linked to the lytic genes for holin and ami2-type amidase and typically replaces genes for the toxin Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL). The predicted PdpSau protein structure shows the presence of a membrane-binding α-helix in its N-terminal part and a cytoplasmic positively charged C terminus. We demonstrated that the mechanism of action of PdpSau does not prevent the infecting kayvirus from adsorbing onto the host cell and delivering its genome into the cell, but phage DNA replication is halted. Changes in the cell membrane polarity and permeability were observed from 10 min after the infection, which led to prophage-activated cell death. Furthermore, we describe a mechanism of overcoming this resistance in a host-range Kayvirus mutant, which was selected on an S. aureus strain harboring prophage 53 encoding PdpSau, and in which a chimeric gene product emerged via adaptive laboratory evolution. This first case of staphylococcal interfamily phage-phage competition is analogous to some other abortive infection defense systems and to systems based on membrane-destructive proteins. IMPORTANCE Prophages play an important role in virulence, pathogenesis, and host preference, as well as in horizontal gene transfer in staphylococci. In contrast, broad-host-range lytic staphylococcal kayviruses lyse most S. aureus strains, and scientists worldwide have come to believe that the use of such phages will be successful for treating and preventing bacterial diseases. The effectiveness of phage therapy is complicated by bacterial resistance, whose mechanisms related to therapeutic staphylococcal phages are not understood in detail. In this work, we describe a resistance mechanism targeting kayviruses that is encoded by a prophage. We conclude that the defense mechanism belongs to a broader group of abortive infections, which is characterized by suicidal behavior of infected cells that are unable to produce phage progeny, thus ensuring the survival of the host population. Since the majority of staphylococcal strains are lysogenic, our findings are relevant for the advancement of phage therapy.
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Buttimer C, Sutton T, Colom J, Murray E, Bettio PH, Smith L, Bolocan AS, Shkoporov A, Oka A, Liu B, Herzog JW, Sartor RB, Draper LA, Ross RP, Hill C. Impact of a phage cocktail targeting Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis as members of a gut bacterial consortium in vitro and in vivo. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:936083. [PMID: 35935217 PMCID: PMC9355613 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.936083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis have been implicated as important players in human gut health that have been associated with the onset of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Bacteriophage (phage) therapy has been used for decades to target pathogens as an alternative to antibiotics, but the ability of phage to shape complex bacterial consortia in the lower gastrointestinal tract is not clearly understood. We administered a cocktail of six phages (either viable or heat-inactivated) targeting pro-inflammatory Escherichia coli LF82 and Enterococcus faecalis OG1RF as members of a defined community in both a continuous fermenter and a murine colitis model. The two target strains were members of a six species simplified human microbiome consortium (SIHUMI-6). In a 72-h continuous fermentation, the phage cocktail caused a 1.1 and 1.5 log (log10 genome copies/mL) reduction in E. faecalis and E. coli numbers, respectively. This interaction was accompanied by changes in the numbers of other SIHUMI-6 members, with an increase of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (1.7 log) and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (1.8 log). However, in germ-free mice colonized by the same bacterial consortium, the same phage cocktail administered twice a week over nine weeks did not cause a significant reduction of the target strains. Mice treated with active or inactive phage had similar levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN-y/IL12p40) in unstimulated colorectal colonic strip cultures. However, histology scores of the murine lower GIT (cecum and distal colon) were lower in the viable phage-treated mice, suggesting that the phage cocktail did influence the functionality of the SIHUMI-6 consortium. For this study, we conclude that the observed potential of phages to reduce host populations in in vitro models did not translate to a similar outcome in an in vivo setting, with this effect likely brought about by the reduction of phage numbers during transit of the mouse GIT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin Buttimer
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Tom Sutton
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Joan Colom
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Ellen Murray
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Pedro H. Bettio
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Linda Smith
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | | | | | - Akihiko Oka
- Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, Izumo, Japan
| | - Bo Liu
- Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Jeremy W. Herzog
- Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - R. Balfour Sartor
- Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | | | - R. Paul Ross
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Colin Hill
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
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