Project description:An important lesson from the war on pathogenic bacteria has been the need to understand the physiological responses and evolution of natural microbial communities. Bacterial populations in the environment are generally forming biofilms subject to some level of phage predation. These multicellular communities are notoriously resistant to antimicrobials and, consequently, very difficult to eradicate. This has sparked the search for new therapeutic alternatives, including phage therapy. This study demonstrates that S. aureus biofilms formed in the presence of a non-lethal dose of phage phiIPLA-RODI exhibit a unique physiological state that could potentially benefit both the host and the predator. Thus, biofilms formed under phage pressure are thicker and have a greater DNA content. Also, the virus-infected biofilm displayed major transcriptional differences compared to an untreated control. Significantly, RNA-seq data revealed activation of the stringent response, which could slow down the advance of the bacteriophage within the biofilm. The end result would be an equilibrium that would help bacterial cells to withstand environmental challenges, while maintaining a reservoir of sensitive bacterial cells available to the phage upon reactivation of the dormant carrier population.
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:We observed the expression profile of the total mRNA in crp (TTHA1437) deletion mutant strain of Thermus thermophilus HB8 during infection of bacteriophage ϕYS40. Keywords: time course, bacteriophage, infection, CRP, cAMP receptor protein, deletion mutant
