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Campylobacter jejuni motility is required for infection of the flagellotropic bacteriophage F341

Signe Berg Baldvinsson1, Martine C Holst Sørensen1, Christina S Vegge1

  • 1Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology
|September 28, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Bacteriophage F341 infects Campylobacter jejuni using its flagellum, not capsule, as a receptor. Flagellar rotation is essential for phage infection and adsorption, suggesting a novel mechanism for phage entry.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Virology
  • Bacteriology

Background:

  • Campylobacter jejuni infections are a major cause of bacterial gastroenteritis.
  • Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria and are potential therapeutic agents.
  • Previous research identified capsular polysaccharides as receptors for some C. jejuni phages.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the receptor and infection mechanism of bacteriophage F341 in Campylobacter jejuni.
  • To determine if the capsule or flagellum of C. jejuni serves as the receptor for phage F341.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized acapsular mutants (kpsM) and flagellar mutants (ΔflaAB, ΔmotA, ΔflgP) of C. jejuni.
  • Performed phage infection assays and adsorption experiments.
  • Employed fluorescence confocal and transmission electron microscopy to visualize phage-host interactions.

Main Results:

  • Phage F341 infected C. jejuni independently of the capsule.
  • Phage F341 failed to infect C. jejuni mutants lacking flagella or with non-rotating flagella.
  • Adsorption assays confirmed phage F341 requires rotating flagella for binding.
  • Microscopy showed phage F341 binding to the flagellum via tail fibers, with movement along the filament.

Conclusions:

  • The flagellum, not the capsule, serves as the primary receptor for bacteriophage F341.
  • Flagellar rotation is crucial for phage F341 adsorption and infection.
  • Phage F341 likely uses flagellar movement to reach the basal body, potentially initiating DNA injection via tail conformational changes and a secondary receptor.

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