The newly discovered Xanthomonas phage M29 (Xp M29) is the first lytic phage infecting Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) that was isolated from cabbage leaves in the Czech Republic. The phage consists of icosahedral head approximately 60 nm in diameter and a probably contractile tail of 170 nm. The complete genome size was 42 891 bp, with a G + C content of 59.6%, and 69 ORFs were predicted on both strands. Pairwise nucleotide comparison showed the highest similarity with the recently described Xanthomonas phage FoX3 (91.2%). Bacteriophage Xp M29 has a narrow host range infecting 5 out of 21 isolates of Xcc. Xp M29 is a novel species in a newly formed genus Foxunavirus assigned directly to the class Caudoviricetes.
- Klíčová slova
- Bacteriophage, Biocontrol, Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris whole-genome sequence,
- MeSH
- bakteriofágy * genetika MeSH
- Myoviridae MeSH
- Xanthomonas campestris * genetika MeSH
- Xanthomonas * genetika MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
Kosakonia cowanii (syn. Enterobacter cowanii) is a highly competitive bacterium that lives with plant, insect, fish, bird, and human organisms. It is pathogenic on some plants and an opportunistic pathogen of human. Nine novel viruses that lyse plant pathogenic strains and/or human strains of K. cowanii were isolated, sequenced, and characterized. Kc166A is a novel kayfunavirus, Kc261 is a novel bonnellvirus, and Kc318 is a new cronosvirus (all Autographiviridae). Kc237 is a new sortsnevirus, but Kc166B and Kc283 are members of new genera within Podoviridae. Kc304 is a new winklervirus, and Kc263 and Kc305 are new myoviruses. The viruses differ in host specificity, plaque phenotype, and lysis kinetics. Some of them should be suitable also as pathogen control agents.
- Klíčová slova
- bonnellvirus, complete genome, cronosvirus, kayfunavirus, myovirus, sortsnevirus, winklervirus,
- MeSH
- bakteriofágy klasifikace genetika izolace a purifikace fyziologie MeSH
- bakteriolýza * MeSH
- Caudovirales klasifikace genetika izolace a purifikace fyziologie MeSH
- Enterobacteriaceae fyziologie virologie MeSH
- fylogeneze MeSH
- genom virový MeSH
- Glycine max mikrobiologie MeSH
- hostitelská specificita MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- listy rostlin mikrobiologie MeSH
- Myoviridae klasifikace genetika izolace a purifikace fyziologie MeSH
- nemoci rostlin mikrobiologie MeSH
- půdní mikrobiologie MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
Mastitis in dairy cows is generally considered to be the most expensive disease for dairy farmers worldwide. The overuse of antibiotics is a major problem in the treatment of bovine mastitis, and bacteriophage therapy is expected to provide an alternative treatment. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a phage cocktail against mastitis in a mouse model. First, a Staphylococcus aureus strain was isolated from milk samples taken from mastitis cows from dairy farms in Xinjiang, China, and it was designated as Sau-XJ-21. Next, two phages (designated as vBSM-A1 and vBSP-A2) with strong lytic activity against Sau-XJ-21 were isolated from mixed sewage samples collected from three cattle farms in Xinjiang. Phages vBSM-A1 and vBSP-A2 were identified as members of the Myoviridae and Podoviridae families, respectively. The two phages exhibited a wide range of hosts, especially phage vBSM-A1. To evaluate the effectiveness of the two phages in the treatment against mastitis, female lactating mice were used 10-14 days after giving births. The mice were divided into six groups; one group was kept as healthy control, while the remaining five groups were inoculated with the isolated S. aureus strain to induce mastitis. Four hours after bacterial inoculation, mice in these groups were injected with 25 μL phosphate buffer saline (negative control), ceftiofur sodium (positive control), or phage, either individually or as a cocktail. The mice were sacrificed 20 h later, and the mammary glands were removed and subjected to further analysis, including the quantitation of colony-forming units (CFU), plaque-forming units (PFU), and gross macroscopic as well as histopathology observation. Mice with induced mastitis exhibited significantly improved mastitic pathology and decreased bacterial counts after they had been given phage treatments, with the phage cocktail being more superior than either phage alone. Furthermore, the cocktail treatment also maintained the highest intramammary phage titer without spreading systemically. The effectiveness of the phage cocktail was comparable to that produced by ceftiofur sodium. According to the data obtained for the mouse model of mastitis, phage therapy could be considered as an innovative alternative to antibiotics for the treatment of bovine mastitis.
- MeSH
- bakteriofágy fyziologie MeSH
- fágová terapie metody veterinární MeSH
- mastitida skotu mikrobiologie terapie MeSH
- mléko mikrobiologie MeSH
- Myoviridae fyziologie MeSH
- myši MeSH
- Podoviridae fyziologie MeSH
- skot MeSH
- stafylokokové infekce mikrobiologie veterinární MeSH
- Staphylococcus aureus fyziologie virologie MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- myši MeSH
- skot MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- hodnotící studie MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Čína MeSH
The spontaneous host-range mutants 812F1 and K1/420 are derived from polyvalent phage 812 that is almost identical to phage K, belonging to family Myoviridae and genus Kayvirus. Phage K1/420 is used for the phage therapy of staphylococcal infections. Endolysin of these mutants designated LysF1, consisting of an N-terminal cysteine-histidine-dependent aminohydrolase/peptidase (CHAP) domain and C-terminal SH3b cell wall-binding domain, has deleted middle amidase domain compared to wild-type endolysin. In this work, LysF1 and both its domains were prepared as recombinant proteins and their function was analyzed. LysF1 had an antimicrobial effect on 31 Staphylococcus species of the 43 tested. SH3b domain influenced antimicrobial activity of LysF1, since the lytic activity of the truncated variant containing the CHAP domain alone was decreased. The results of a co-sedimentation assay of SH3b domain showed that it was able to bind to three types of purified staphylococcal peptidoglycan 11.2, 11.3, and 11.8 that differ in their peptide bridge, but also to the peptidoglycan type 11.5 of Streptococcus uberis, and this capability was verified in vivo using the fusion protein with GFP and fluorescence microscopy. Using several different approaches, including NMR, we have not confirmed the previously proposed interaction of the SH3b domain with the pentaglycine bridge in the bacterial cell wall. The new naturally raised deletion mutant endolysin LysF1 is smaller than LysK, has a broad lytic spectrum, and therefore is an appropriate enzyme for practical use. The binding spectrum of SH3b domain covering all known staphylococcal peptidoglycan types is a promising feature for creating new chimeolysins by combining it with more effective catalytic domains.
- Klíčová slova
- Endolysin, Endopeptidases, Enzybiotics, Src homology domains, Staphylococcal infections, Staphylococcus bacteriophage,
- MeSH
- endopeptidasy genetika izolace a purifikace metabolismus MeSH
- hostitelská specificita * MeSH
- mutantní proteiny genetika izolace a purifikace metabolismus MeSH
- Myoviridae enzymologie genetika fyziologie MeSH
- peptidoglykan metabolismus MeSH
- proteinové domény MeSH
- sekvenční delece * MeSH
- Staphylococcus virologie MeSH
- vazba proteinů MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Názvy látek
- endolysin MeSH Prohlížeč
- endopeptidasy MeSH
- mutantní proteiny MeSH
- peptidoglykan MeSH
Phage T4 lysozyme is a well folded and highly soluble protein that is widely used as an insertion tag to improve solubility and crystallization properties of poorly behaved recombinant proteins. It has been used in the fusion protein strategy to facilitate crystallization of various proteins including multiple G protein-coupled receptors, lipid kinases, or sterol binding proteins. Here, we present a structural and biochemical characterization of its novel, metal ions-binding mutant (mbT4L). We demonstrate that mbT4L can be used as a purification tag in the immobilized-metal affinity chromatography and that, in many respects, it is superior to the conventional hexahistidine tag. In addition, structural characterization of mbT4L suggests that mbT4L can be used as a purification tag compatible with X-ray crystallography.
- Klíčová slova
- crystal structure, endolysin, histidine tag, lysozyme, phage T4, protein purification,
- MeSH
- bakteriofág T4 * enzymologie genetika MeSH
- chromatografie afinitní metody MeSH
- krystalografie rentgenová metody MeSH
- muramidasa * chemie genetika izolace a purifikace MeSH
- mutace * MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Názvy látek
- muramidasa * MeSH
Bacteriophages from the family Myoviridae use double-layered contractile tails to infect bacteria. Contraction of the tail sheath enables the tail tube to penetrate through the bacterial cell wall and serve as a channel for the transport of the phage genome into the cytoplasm. However, the mechanisms controlling the tail contraction and genome release of phages with "double-layered" baseplates were unknown. We used cryo-electron microscopy to show that the binding of the Twort-like phage phi812 to the Staphylococcus aureus cell wall requires a 210° rotation of the heterohexameric receptor-binding and tripod protein complexes within its baseplate about an axis perpendicular to the sixfold axis of the tail. This rotation reorients the receptor-binding proteins to point away from the phage head, and also results in disruption of the interaction of the tripod proteins with the tail sheath, hence triggering its contraction. However, the tail sheath contraction of Myoviridae phages is not sufficient to induce genome ejection. We show that the end of the phi812 double-stranded DNA genome is bound to one protein subunit from a connector complex that also forms an interface between the phage head and tail. The tail sheath contraction induces conformational changes of the neck and connector that result in disruption of the DNA binding. The genome penetrates into the neck, but is stopped at a bottleneck before the tail tube. A subsequent structural change of the tail tube induced by its interaction with the S. aureus cell is required for the genome's release.
- Klíčová slova
- Staphylococcus, bacteriophage, contraction, genome release, structure,
- MeSH
- elektronová kryomikroskopie MeSH
- genom virový * MeSH
- Myoviridae genetika fyziologie ultrastruktura MeSH
- Staphylococcus aureus virologie MeSH
- virové plášťové proteiny chemie MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Názvy látek
- virové plášťové proteiny MeSH
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that causes serious infections, especially in patients with immunodeficiency. It exhibits multiple mechanisms of resistance, including efflux pumps, antibiotic modifying enzymes and limited membrane permeability. The primary reason for the development of novel therapeutics for P. aeruginosa infections is the declining efficacy of conventional antibiotic therapy. These clinical problems caused a revitalization of interest in bacteriophages, which are highly specific and have very effective antibacterial activity as well as several other advantages over traditional antimicrobial agents. Above all, so far, no serious or irreversible side effects of phage therapy have been described. Five newly purified P. aeruginosa phages named vB_PaeM_WP1, vB_PaeM_WP2, vB_PaeM_WP3, vB_PaeM_WP4 and vB_PaeP_WP5 have been characterized as potential candidates for use in phage therapy. They are representatives of the Myoviridae and Podoviridae families. Their host range, genome size, structural proteins and stability in various physical and chemical conditions were tested. The results of these preliminary investigations indicate that the newly isolated bacteriophages may be considered for use in phagotherapy.
- MeSH
- bakteriofágy klasifikace genetika izolace a purifikace fyziologie MeSH
- biologická terapie MeSH
- hostitelská specificita MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- molekulární sekvence - údaje MeSH
- Myoviridae klasifikace genetika izolace a purifikace fyziologie MeSH
- odpadní vody virologie MeSH
- Podoviridae klasifikace genetika izolace a purifikace fyziologie MeSH
- pseudomonádové infekce mikrobiologie terapie MeSH
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa virologie MeSH
- virové proteiny genetika MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Názvy látek
- odpadní vody MeSH
- virové proteiny MeSH
A systematic method for the analysis of the hydration structure of proteins is demonstrated on the case study of lysozyme. The method utilises multiple structural data of the same protein deposited in the protein data bank. Clusters of high water occupancy are localised and characterised in terms of their interaction with protein. It is shown that they constitute a network of interconnected hydrogen bonds anchored to the protein molecule. The high occupancy of the clusters does not directly correlate with water-protein interaction energy as was originally hypothesised. The highly occupied clusters rather correspond to the nodes of the hydration network that have the maximum number of hydrogen bonds including both the protein atoms and the surrounding water clusters.
- Klíčová slova
- X-ray crystallography, cluster algorithm, interaction enthalpy, protein hydration structure, water,
- MeSH
- bakteriofág T4 chemie enzymologie MeSH
- databáze proteinů MeSH
- molekulární modely MeSH
- muramidasa chemie MeSH
- termodynamika MeSH
- virové proteiny chemie MeSH
- voda chemie MeSH
- vodíková vazba MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Názvy látek
- muramidasa MeSH
- virové proteiny MeSH
- voda MeSH
Bacteriophage T4 is a virus with well-known genetics, structure, and biology. Such techniques as X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM, and three-dimensional (3D) image reconstruction allowed describing its structure very precisely. The genome of this bacteriophage was completely sequenced, which opens the way for the use of many molecular techniques, such as site-specific mutagenesis, which was widely applied, e.g., in investigating the functions of some essential T4 proteins. The phage-display method, which is commonly applied in bacteriophage modifications, was successfully used to display antigens (PorA protein, VP2 protein of vvIBDV, and antigens of anthrax and HIV) on T4's capsid platform. As first studies showed, the phage-display system as well as site-specific mutagenesis may also be used to modify interactions between phage particles and mammalian cells or to obtain phages infecting species other than the host bacteria. These may be used, among others, in the constantly developing bacteriophage therapy. All manipulations of this popular bacteriophage may enable the development of vaccine technology, phage therapy, and other branches of biological and medical science.
The entire double-stranded DNA genome of the Streptomyces aureofaciens phage mu1/6 was sequenced and analyzed. Its size is 38.194 kbp with an overall molar G+C content of 71.2 %. Fifty-two potential open reading frames (orfs) were identified, divided into two oppositely transcribed regions. In the left arm of the mu1/6 genome, an identified putative integrase and possible regulation proteins were identified. The rightwards transcribed region contains genes organized into apparently four functional units responsible for: (i) replication, (ii) DNA packaging and head assembly, (iii) tail morphogenesis, and (iv) lysis. Putative functions were assigned to twelve orfs based on bioinformatic analysis or experimental substantiation. Comparative analysis with three complete genomes of streptomycete phages revealed resemblance with respect to the organization of their genes into functional modules. Closer relationship was observed only between mu1/6 and S. venezuelae phage VWB.
- MeSH
- bakteriofág mu genetika MeSH
- DNA virů MeSH
- genom virový * MeSH
- genová knihovna MeSH
- molekulární sekvence - údaje MeSH
- otevřené čtecí rámce MeSH
- sekvence aminokyselin MeSH
- sekvence nukleotidů MeSH
- sekvenční seřazení MeSH
- Streptomyces aureofaciens virologie MeSH
- výpočetní biologie MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Názvy látek
- DNA virů MeSH
