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The diversity and host interactions of Propionibacterium acnes bacteriophages on human skin.

ABSTRACT: The viral population, including bacteriophages, is an important component of the human microbiota, yet is poorly understood. We aim to determine whether bacteriophages modulate the composition of the bacterial populations, thus potentially playing a role in health or disease. We investigated the diversity and host interactions of the bacteriophages of Propionibacterium acnes, a major human skin commensal implicated in acne pathogenesis. By sequencing 48 P. acnes phages isolated from acne patients and healthy individuals and by analyzing the P. acnes phage populations in healthy skin metagenomes, we revealed that P. acnes phage populations in the skin microbial community are often dominated by one strain. We also found phage strains shared among both related and unrelated individuals, suggesting that a pool of common phages exists in the human population and that transmission of phages may occur between individuals. To better understand the bacterium-phage interactions in the skin microbiota, we determined the outcomes of 74 genetically defined Propionibacterium strains challenged by 15 sequenced phages. Depending on the Propionibacterium lineage, phage infection can result in lysis, pseudolysogeny, or resistance. In type II P. acnes strains, we found that encoding matching clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat spacers is insufficient to confer phage resistance. Overall, our findings suggest that the prey-predator relationship between bacteria and phages may have a role in modulating the composition of the microbiota. Our study also suggests that the microbiome structure of an individual may be an important factor in the design of phage-based therapy.

SUBMITTER: Liu J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4542041 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The diversity and host interactions of Propionibacterium acnes bacteriophages on human skin.

Liu Jared J Yan Riceley R Zhong Qiao Q Ngo Sam S Bangayan Nathanael J NJ Nguyen Lin L Lui Timothy T Liu Minghsun M Erfe Marie C MC Craft Noah N Tomida Shuta S Li Huiying H

The ISME journal 20150407 9

The viral population, including bacteriophages, is an important component of the human microbiota, yet is poorly understood. We aim to determine whether bacteriophages modulate the composition of the bacterial populations, thus potentially playing a role in health or disease. We investigated the diversity and host interactions of the bacteriophages of Propionibacterium acnes, a major human skin commensal implicated in acne pathogenesis. By sequencing 48 P. acnes phages isolated from acne patient ...[more]

PMID: 25848871

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Project description:Investigation of the human microbiome has revealed diverse and complex microbial communities at distinct anatomic sites. The microbiome of the human sebaceous follicle provides a tractable model in which to study its dominant bacterial inhabitant, Propionibacterium acnes, which is thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of the human disease acne. To explore the diversity of the bacteriophages that infect P. acnes, 11 P. acnes phages were isolated from the sebaceous follicles of donors with healthy skin or acne and their genomes were sequenced. Comparative genomic analysis of the P. acnes phage population, which spans a 30-year temporal period and a broad geographic range, reveals striking similarity in terms of genome length, percent GC content, nucleotide identity (>85%), and gene content. This was unexpected, given the far-ranging diversity observed in virtually all other phage populations. Although the P. acnes phages display a broad host range against clinical isolates of P. acnes, two bacterial isolates were resistant to many of these phages. Moreover, the patterns of phage resistance correlate closely with the presence of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat elements in the bacteria that target a specific subset of phages, conferring a system of prokaryotic innate immunity. The limited diversity of the P. acnes bacteriophages, which may relate to the unique evolutionary constraints imposed by the lipid-rich anaerobic environment in which their bacterial hosts reside, points to the potential utility of phage-based antimicrobial therapy for acne. Propionibacterium acnes is a dominant member of the skin microflora and has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of acne; however, little is known about the bacteriophages that coexist with and infect this bacterium. Here we present the novel genome sequences of 11 P. acnes phages, thereby substantially increasing the amount of available genomic information about this phage population. Surprisingly, we find that, unlike other well-studied bacteriophages, P. acnes phages are highly homogeneous and show a striking lack of genetic diversity, which is perhaps related to their unique and restricted habitat. They also share a broad ability to kill clinical isolates of P. acnes; phage resistance is not prevalent, but when detected, it appears to be conferred by chromosomally encoded immunity elements within the host genome. We believe that these phages display numerous features that would make them ideal candidates for the development of a phage-based therapy for acne.

Project description:UNLABELLED:Propionibacterium acnes constitutes a major part of the skin microbiome and contributes to human health. However, it has also been implicated as a pathogenic factor in several diseases, including acne, one of the most common skin diseases. Its pathogenic role, however, remains elusive. To better understand the genetic landscape and diversity of the organism and its role in human health and disease, we performed a comparative genome analysis of 82 P. acnes strains, 69 of which were sequenced by our group. This collection covers all known P. acnes lineages, including types IA, IB, II, and III. Our analysis demonstrated that although the P. acnes pan-genome is open, it is relatively small and expands slowly. The core regions, shared by all the sequenced genomes, accounted for 88% of the average genome. Comparative genome analysis showed that within each lineage, the strains isolated from the same individuals were more closely related than the ones isolated from different individuals, suggesting that clonal expansions occurred within each individual microbiome. We also identified the genetic elements specific to each lineage. Differences in harboring these elements may explain the phenotypic and functional differences of P. acnes in functioning as a commensal in healthy skin and as a pathogen in diseases. Our findings of the differences among P. acnes strains at the genome level underscore the importance of identifying the human microbiome variations at the strain level in understanding its association with diseases and provide insight into novel and personalized therapeutic approaches for P. acnes-related diseases. IMPORTANCE:Propionibacterium acnes is a major human skin bacterium. It plays an important role in maintaining skin health. However, it has also been hypothesized to be a pathogenic factor in several diseases, including acne, a common skin disease affecting 85% of teenagers. To understand whether different strains have different virulent properties and thus play different roles in health and diseases, we compared the genomes of 82 P. acnes strains, most of which were isolated from acne or healthy skin. We identified lineage-specific genetic elements that may explain the phenotypic and functional differences of P. acnes as a commensal in health and as a pathogen in diseases. By analyzing a large number of sequenced strains, we provided an improved understanding of the genetic landscape and diversity of the organism at the strain level and at the molecular level that can be further applied in the development of new and personalized therapies.

Project description:Proprionibacterium acnes is a Gram positive bacterium found ubiquitously on human skin, where it is typically considered to assume a commensal relationship with its host. However, it is also closely associated with the skin condition acne vulgaris. More controversially, it has a postulated involvement in infections of implanted prosthetic devices and has been isolated from malignant prostate tissues. The role of P. acnes in these pathologies remains undetermined, although both bacterial and host factors are implicated. By microarray analysis, we have identified fundamental differences in the global transcriptional profiles of keratinocyte and prostate cells to P. acnes infection. Notably, P. acnes infection of the keratinocyte cell line, HaCaT, elicited a robust, but acute inflammatory response. By contrast, the inflammatory response of the prostate cell line, RWPE1, was delayed and persisted for longer times. Immunofluorescence and electron microscopy revealed higher numbers of internalized P. acnes bacteria in RWPE1 cells, which could still be detected intracellularly three weeks post infection. This contrasted with HaCaT cells, which P. acnes largely failed to invade. Moreover, P. acnes induced a delayed, sustained activation of NFM-NM-:B in RWPE1 cells, which was absent in HaCaT cells. Further characterization of the host-cell response to infection revealed that the intermediate filament protein, vimentin, was a key determinant of P. acnes invasion, persistence and inflammatory profile in RWPE1 cells. siRNA mediated knock down of vimentin in RWPE1 cells attenuated bacterial invasion and the inflammatory response to infection; similarly, overexpression of vimentin in HaCaT cells increased bacterial invasion. We conclude that vimentin-dependent host-tissue tropism, in part, determines P. acnes invasion and inflammatory capacity. This could contribute to P. acnes pathology at non-skin infection sites. Microarray experiments were performed as dual-color hybridizations. In order to compensate specific effects of the dyes and to ensure statistically relevant data analysis, a color-swap dye-reversal was performed.

Dataset Information

The diversity and host interactions of Propionibacterium acnes bacteriophages on human skin.

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The diversity and host interactions of Propionibacterium acnes bacteriophages on human skin.

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