Project description:RNA-sequencing was preformed from RNA isolated from bacteria infected with the bacteriophage. In order to reveal the phage-host interactions between φR1-37 and Yersinia enterocolitica throughout the phage infection cycle, both the transcriptomes were scrutinized during all the stages of infection.
Project description:Bacterial populations face the constant threat of viral predation exerted by bacteriophages (or phages). In response, bacteria have evolved a wide range of defense mechanisms against phage challenges. Here, we show that aminoglycosides, a well-known class of antibiotics produced by Streptomyces, are potent inhibitors of phage infection. We observed a broad phage inhibition by aminoglycosides. We demonstrate that aminoglycosides do not prevent the injection of phage DNA into bacterial cells but instead block an early step of the viral life cycle. In this context, we used RNA sequencing of S. venezuelae cells infected with phage Alderaan to comparatively investigate the influence of apramycin on phage DNA tanscription at two different time points after inital infection.
Project description:Whole-genome sequencing is an important way to understand the genetic information, gene function, biological characteristics, and living mechanisms of organisms. There is no difficulty to have mega-level genomes sequenced at present. However, we encountered a hard-to-sequence genome of Pseudomonas aeruginosa phage PaP1. The shotgun sequencing method failed to dissect this genome. After insisting for 10 years and going over 3 generations of sequencing techniques, we successfully dissected the PaP1 genome with 91,715 bp in length. Single-molecule sequencing revealed that this genome contains lots of modified bases, including 51 N6-methyladenines (m6A) and 152 N4-methylcytosines (m4C). At the same time, further investigations revealed a novel immune mechanism of bacteria, by which the host bacteria can recognize and repel the modified bases containing inserts in large scale, and this led to the failure of the shotgun method in PaP1 genome sequencing. Strategy of resolving this problem is use of non-library dependent sequencing techniques or use of the nfi- mutant of E. coli DH5M-NM-1 as the host bacteria to construct the shotgun library. In conclusion, we unlock the mystery of phage PaP1 genome hard to be sequenced, and discover a new mechanism of bacterial immunity in present study. Methylation profiling of Pseudomonas aeruginosa phage PaP1 using kinetic data generated by single-molecule, real-time (SMRT) sequencing on the PacBio RS.
Project description:Clinical case studies have reported that the combined use of specific lytic phage(s) and antibiotics reduces the severity of difficult-to-treat Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in many patients. In vitro methods that attempt to reproduce specific pathophysiological conditions can provide a reliable assessment of the antibacterial effects of phages. Here, we measured bacterial killing kinetics and individual phage replication in different growth phases, including biofilms, elucidating factors influencing the efficacy of two phages against the laboratory strain P. aeruginosa PAO1. While two-phage combination treatment effectively eliminated P. aeruginosa in routine broth and in infected human lung cell cultures, the emergence of phage-resistant variants occurred under both conditions. Phage combination displayed initial inhibition of biofilm dispersal, but sustained control was achieved only with a combination of phages and meropenem. In contrast, surface-attached biofilm exhibited tolerance to phage and/or meropenem, suggesting a spatiotemporal variation in antibacterial effect. Moreover, the phage with the shorter lysis time killed P. aeruginosa more rapidly, selecting a specific nucleotide polymorphism that likely conferred a competitive disadvantage and cross resistance to the second phage of the combination. These findings highlight biofilm developmental phase, inter-phage competition and phage resistance as factors limiting the in vitro efficacy of a phage combination. However, their precise impact on the outcome of phage therapy remains uncertain, necessitating validation through phage efficacy trials in order to establish clearer correlations between laboratory assessments and clinical results.