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Novel "Superspreader" Bacteriophages Promote Horizontal Gene Transfer by Transformation
Eric C Keen1,2, Valery V Bliskovsky3, Francisco Malagon2,4
1Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA e.keen@umiami.edu.
Mbio
|January 19, 2017
Summary
Novel bacteriophages, termed "superspreaders," efficiently release intact plasmids, promoting antibiotic resistance gene transfer. These phages are unsuitable for medical use but drive bacterial evolution in nature.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Bacteriophages (phages) are abundant viruses that infect bacteria.
- Bacteria often harbor plasmids, which can carry antibiotic resistance genes.
- The fate of plasmids during phage infection and lysis is largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate plasmid fate after phage lysis.
- To identify phages that promote horizontal gene transfer via plasmid release.
- To assess the implications of phage-plasmid interactions for antibiotic resistance spread and phage therapy.
Main Methods:
- Isolation and characterization of novel Escherichia coli phages.
- Assessing plasmid liberation and transformation efficiency by phages.
- Quantifying antibiotic resistance gene transfer in bacterial communities and cocultures.
- Genomic analysis of phage-encoded nucleases.
Main Results:
- Two novel phages, SUSP1 and SUSP2, act as
- superspreaders,
- releasing intact, transformable plasmids.
- These phages efficiently dispersed antibiotic resistance genes in soil bacteria and enhanced resistance transfer in cocultures.
- Phage superspreaders lack known DNA-degrading enzymes, unlike other lytic phages.
Conclusions:
- Phage superspreaders promote horizontal gene transfer and bacterial evolution.
- Their ability to spread antibiotic resistance makes them unsuitable for phage therapy.
- Understanding phage-plasmid interactions is crucial for microbial ecology and biomedicine.
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