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Phage Adsorption to Gram-Positive Bacteria

Audrey Leprince1, Jacques Mahillon1

  • 1Laboratory of Food and Environmental Microbiology, Earth and Life Institute, UCLouvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.

Viruses
|January 21, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Bacteriophage adsorption, crucial for host range, involves specific interactions between bacterial receptors and viral Receptor Binding Proteins (RBPs). This overview focuses on RBPs and receptors in Caudoviricetes phages infecting Gram-positive bacteria.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Virology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • The phage life cycle begins with adsorption, a critical step determining host range.
  • Adsorption relies on specific interactions between bacterial receptors and viral Receptor Binding Proteins (RBPs).
  • In Caudoviricetes phages, RBPs are located on the tail structure, essential for host cell entry.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide an overview of the phage adsorption process.
  • To compile information on bacterial receptors and viral RBPs involved in phage infection.
  • To focus on phages that infect Gram-positive bacteria.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of phage-host interactions.
  • Compilation of data on receptor types and RBP functions.
  • Analysis of adsorption mechanisms in Caudoviricetes phages.

Main Results:

  • Adsorption specificity is dictated by phage morphology and host type.
  • Diverse bacterial structures serve as receptors for phage attachment.
  • Various RBPs and accessory proteins facilitate phage binding and host cell penetration.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding phage adsorption is key to phage therapy and host range determination.
  • The interaction between RBPs and receptors is a complex, specific process.
  • This review highlights the importance of RBPs in phages infecting Gram-positive bacteria.
Keywords:
Gram-positive hostadsorptionphagereceptorreceptor binding proteintail

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