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Growth stage-related capsular polysaccharide translocon Wza in Vibrio splendidus modifies phage vB_VspM_VS2
Liming Jiang1,2, Jinsheng Wen1,2, Demeng Tan3
1State Key Laboratory for Quality and Safety of Agroproducts, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China.
Abstract:
Bacteria at different growth stages usually coordinate capsular polysaccharide (CPS) formation and may affect their susceptibility to phage. In this study, we evaluated the infection efficacy of phage vB_VspM_VS2 in V. splendidus AJ01 at different growth stages and explored the role of growth stage-related CPS translocon Wza in the susceptibility of V. splendidus to phage vB_VspM_VS2. The results showed that V. splendidus locked in the stationary growth stage (SGS) or early exponential stage (EES) infected with phage (EES-P) has a low susceptibility to phage vB_VspM_VS and exhibit a pronounced reduction in phage adsorption rate as compared to the EES bacteria. The expression of wza of CPS transport gene was significantly increased in EES bacteria compared to that bacteria locked in the SGS or EES-P. Bacteria with deleted wza (Δwza mutant) escaped phage adsorption due to absence of Wza mediated down-regulation of CPS expression, otherwise. Our results reveal that the Wza of V. splendidus can promotes phage to infect these bacteria via increasing the phage absorption, which provides important implications for using phages therapeutically target pathogenic bacteria in dynamics communities.
Insights
Bacterial capsular polysaccharide (CPS) affects phage susceptibility. The Wza protein in Vibrio splendidus promotes phage infection by increasing phage absorption, especially in early exponential growth stages.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Bacteriology
- Virology
Background:
- Bacteria coordinate capsular polysaccharide (CPS) production with growth stages, influencing phage susceptibility.
- Phage therapy effectiveness can be impacted by bacterial growth dynamics and surface structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the infection efficacy of phage vB_VspM_VS2 against Vibrio splendidus AJ01 at different growth stages.
- To investigate the role of the CPS translocon Wza in V. splendidus susceptibility to phage vB_VspM_VS2.
Main Methods:
- Assessing phage vB_VspM_VS2 infection rates in V. splendidus at various growth phases (early exponential, stationary).
- Quantifying phage adsorption rates on different bacterial growth stages.
- Analyzing the expression levels of the wza gene.
- Creating and testing a wza-deleted mutant (Δwza) for phage susceptibility.
Main Results:
- Vibrio splendidus in stationary growth stage (SGS) and phage-infected early exponential stage (EES-P) exhibited reduced susceptibility to phage vB_VspM_VS2.
- Phage adsorption rates were significantly lower in SGS and EES-P bacteria compared to EES bacteria.
- wza gene expression was higher in EES bacteria than in SGS or EES-P bacteria.
- A Δwza mutant showed resistance to phage adsorption, indicating Wza's role in CPS regulation.
Conclusions:
- Wza facilitates phage infection in V. splendidus by enhancing phage absorption.
- Bacterial growth stage and Wza-mediated CPS regulation are critical factors in phage-bacteria interactions.
- Understanding these dynamics is crucial for optimizing phage therapy in complex bacterial communities.
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