Project description:This microarray serie represents the complete gene expression study of bacteriophage BFK 20 during the infection of its host Brevibacterium flavum CCM 251. Keywords: time course
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
Project description:The basic biology of bacteriophage–host interactions has attracted increasing attention due to a renewed interest in the therapeutic potential of bacteriophages. In addition, knowledge of the host pathways inhibited by phage may provide clues to novel drug targets. However, the effect of phage on bacterial gene expression and metabolism is still poorly understood. In this study, we tracked phage–host interactions by combining transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses in Pseudomonas aeruginosa infected with a lytic bacteriophage, PaP1. Compared with the uninfected host, 7.1% (399/5655) of the genes of the phage-infected host were differentially expressed genes (DEGs); of those, 354 DEGs were downregulated at the late infection phase. Many of the downregulated DEGs were found in amino acid and energy metabolism pathways. Using metabolomics approach, we then analyzed the changes in metabolite levels in the PaP1-infected host compared to un-infected controls. Thymidine was significantly increased in the host after PaP1 infection, results that were further supported by increased expression of a PaP1-encoded thymidylate synthase gene. Furthermore, the intracellular betaine concentration was drastically reduced, whereas choline increased, presumably due to downregulation of the choline–glycine betaine pathway. Interestingly, the choline–glycine betaine pathway is a potential antimicrobial target; previous studies have shown that betB inhibition results in the depletion of betaine and the accumulation of betaine aldehyde, the combination of which is toxic to P. aeruginosa. These results present a detailed description of an example of phage-directed metabolism in P. aeruginosa. Both phage-encoded auxiliary metabolic genes and phage-directed host gene expression may contribute to the metabolic changes observed in the host.
Project description:Sequence overlap between two genes is common across all genomes, with viruses having particularly high proportions of these gene overlaps. The natural biological function and effects on fitness of gene overlaps are not fully understood and their effects on gene cluster and genome-level refactoring are unknown.The model bacteriophage φX174 genome displays complex sequence architecture in which ~26% of nucleotides are involved in encoding more than one gene. In this study we use an engineered φX174 phage containing a genome with all gene overlaps removed.
Here we have temporally measured the proteome of a synthetically engineered and wild-type φX174 during infection. We find that almost half of all phage proteins (5/11) have abnormal expression profiles after genome modularisation.
Project description:Bacteriophages are highly abundant viruses of bacteria. The major role of phages in microbial ecology to shape bacterial communities and their emerging medical potential as antibacterial agents have triggered a rebirth of phage research. It is of particular interest to understand the molecular mechanisms by which phages gain control over their host. Omics technologies such as next-generation sequencing and protein-profiling technologies can provide novel insights into transcriptional and translational events occurring during the infection process. Thereby, the temporal organization of the transcriptome and proteome of the phage and their bacterial hosts can be monitored. In this study, we performed next-generation sequencing and proteomics to study the transcriptome and proteome of the T4 phage and its host during the infection in a time-resolved manner. Our data shows the temporally resolved appearance of bacteriophage T4 transcripts and proteins, confirming previously described subgrouping of T4 gene products into early, middle and late infection phases. We observe specific early transcripts giving rise to middle or late proteins indicating the existence of previously not reported post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms controlling the translation of T4 mRNAs. Moreover, we investigated the stability of E. coli-originated transcripts and proteins in the course of infection, identifying degradation of E. coli transcripts and preservation of the host proteome. This study provides the first comprehensive insights into the transcriptomic and proteomic takeover by the bacteriophage T4, exemplifying the power and value of high-throughput technologies to simultaneously characterize multiple gene expression events. Moreover, we created a user-friendly application available to the entire scientific community to access gene expression patterns for their host and phage genes of interest.
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.
Project description:Staphylococcus phage 812, strain K1/420, is a broad-acting bacteriophage infecting S. aureus. Phage 812 belongs to the family Herelleviridae and is closely related to kayviruses. We conducted a structural study of the viral particle of phage 812 before and after genome ejection. We characterized the protein components forming the particle and described the changes in their structural arrangement that govern genome anchoring, gating, and release.
Project description:Bacteriophage P1 is one of the most commonly studied phages in molecular biology, and P1vir, its virulent derivative, has been widely used in almost every biotechnological laboratory as a useful genetic tool. Phage development depends on many host proteins and the cellular physiological state. In many cases, metabolic control is assessed by efficient and energy-saving riboregulation, and one of the major cellular hub of the global RNA regulation is the Hfq protein. Despite the fact that this factor was discovered as host factor necessary for Qβ bacteriophage replication, the role of Hfq in phage biology has not been extensively studied. We have found that deletion of the hfq gene resulted in impaired development of P1vir, suggesting its important role, but not indispensability, in the phage biology. We demonstrate global changes in the host-virus transcriptome during the infection. We have found that at different times after infection of the wild type strain (10 and 20 min), numerous hosts genes have been downregulated. On the other hand, in the Δhfq mutant, relatively small number of genes has been downregulated. Furthermore, numerous viral genes have been downregulated in the Δhfq mutant, comparing to the wild-type cells. Our results demonstrate that deficiency in global RNA regulation severely affects phage P1vir development. Thus, observed impaired P1vir development can be explained by abolition of proper cell re-programming during infection and/or impaired phage gene expression. The Hfq protein, as a global RNA hub, occurs in Escherichia coli and its homologues are present in other bacteria and archeons. Therefore, we anticipate that our results put new light on Hfq as a global phage regulator.
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.