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Hijacking the Hijackers: Escherichia coli Pathogenicity Islands Redirect Helper Phage Packaging for Their Own Benefit
Alfred Fillol-Salom1, Julio Bacarizo1, Mohammed Alqasmi2
1Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK.
Molecular Cell
|July 28, 2019
Summary
Phage-inducible chromosomal islands (PICIs) use a novel protein, Rpp, to hijack phage packaging machinery. This protein redirects packaging to PICI DNA while blocking phage DNA replication, aiding PICI spread.
Area of Science:
- Bacteriology
- Virology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Phage-inducible chromosomal islands (PICIs) are mobile genetic elements impacting bacterial virulence.
- Mechanisms by which Gram-negative PICIs manipulate phage machinery for packaging and replication blocking are unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate how Gram-negative PICIs utilize phage machinery for their own packaging.
- To understand how PICIs inhibit phage reproduction.
Main Methods:
- Genetic analyses
- Structural analyses
Main Results:
- PICIs encode a protein, Rpp (redirecting phage packaging), that interacts with the phage terminase small subunit.
- The Rpp-terminase complex fails to recognize phage DNA, blocking phage packaging.
- This complex specifically binds PICI DNA, promoting PICI packaging.
Conclusions:
- Rpp is a key protein enabling PICI dissemination by redirecting phage packaging machinery.
- This discovery provides a new paradigm for understanding pathogenicity island biology and bacterial evolution.
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