Project description:Genome-wide transcriptomics (RNA-seq) data was obtained temporally at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60 and 120 minutes of the infection with phage 18:3 on Cellulophaga baltica strain #18 to analyze, in biological triplicates, the phage and host transcriptional response during their interaction compared to the uninfected control.
Project description:The oceans teem with bacteria and viruses (phages), engaged in a battle of attack and resistance. While ecological theory predicts fitness-resistance trade-offs, the mechanisms and ecosystem consequences of resistance remain underexplored. Here we isolated 13 spontaneous, Cellulophaga baltica phage-resistant mutants that altered the cell surface or intracellular amino acid metabolism, and evaluated resistance mechanisms and ecological impacts. Mechanistically, surface mutants offered broad and complete extracellular resistance against multiple phages through decreased adsorption, while intracellular mutants resisted a single phage after viral DNA replication. For one intracellular mutant, resistance was shown to be lipid-mediated. Ecosystem impacts were three-fold: (i) surface mutants altered carbon utilization most; (ii) one intracellular mutant was predicted to secrete more metabolites (including experimentally-verified acetate); and (iii) all mutants were stickier with surface mutants also sedimenting faster. These findings illuminate how phage resistance drives fitness tradeoffs and quantifies cellular-to-ecosystem impacts, with direct linkages to marine carbon storage.
