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Related Experiment Videos

A bacteriophage-like particle from Bartonella bacilliformis.

Kent D Barbian1, Michael F Minnick1

  • 1Division of Biological Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812-4824, USA1.

Microbiology (Reading, England)
|April 4, 2000
PubMed
Summary

Bartonella species produce bacteriophage-like particles (BLPs) containing host DNA. While BLPs from Bartonella bacilliformis can package DNA, they do not appear to facilitate horizontal gene transfer between bacteria.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Bacteriology

Background:

  • Bartonella bacilliformis and Bartonella henselae cause human diseases and produce bacteriophage-like particles (BLPs) that package host DNA.
  • The presence of similar BLPs and 14 kbp extrachromosomal DNA elements suggests broader occurrence across Bartonella species.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the presence and characteristics of BLPs in various Bartonella species.
  • To characterize the purification, structure, and DNA packaging mechanism of BLPs from Bartonella bacilliformis.
  • To assess the potential role of BLPs in horizontal gene transfer within Bartonella.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation and purification of BLPs from Bartonella bacilliformis using chloroform, DNase I, and centrifugation.
  • Transmission electron microscopy for BLP visualization and characterization.

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  • Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), Southern blot, SDS-PAGE, and Western blot analyses for DNA and protein characterization.
  • Generation of Bartonella bacilliformis mutants to test BLP-mediated gene transfer.

    • Main Results:

    • BLPs were identified in Bartonella quintana, Bartonella doshiae, and Bartonella grahamii, but not in Bartonella elizabethae or Bartonella clarridgeiae.
    • Purified BLPs from B. bacilliformis were icosahedral, approximately 80 nm in diameter, and contained three major proteins (32, 34, 36 kDa).
    • BLP DNA packaging in B. bacilliformis appeared non-selective but less extensive than in B. henselae; BLP proteins showed slight immunogenicity.
    • Mutagenized DNA was packaged into BLPs, but intraspecies transduction attempts were unsuccessful.

    Conclusions:

    • Bacteriophage-like particles (BLPs) are present in several Bartonella species, packaging specific host DNA segments.
    • The characterized BLPs from Bartonella bacilliformis have distinct structural and packaging properties.
    • Current evidence does not support a significant role for these BLPs in mediating horizontal gene transfer within Bartonella.